Acquiring wideout Mike Williams from the New York Jets at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline was token and just not enough.

The investment sends a message of belief to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room, though it’s easily dismissed if considered realistically.

Most fans will be fooled. Fans usually are.

There are some things to like about Williams’ acquisition. At 6-foot-4, he gives the Steelers a plethora of big targets.

But six wideouts have been traded in the NFL since season’s start. Williams, 30, is the fifth-best of those.

The Steelers needed to get a receiver like DeAndre Hopkins, who scored two touchdowns Monday night in his second game for Kansas City. How did other AFC contenders let Hopkins get to the Chiefs for just a conditional fifth-round pick?

Getting Williams was predictable and underwhelming.

He’s a downgrade from Diontae Johnson, who got traded to Carolina in March and embarrassingly took till Tuesday to truly replace. Johnson since getting swapped to Baltimore adds insult and injury.

If you think GM Omar Khan got this situation right, you’re conning yourself.

Williams doesn’t make the Steelers more likely to win a playoff game.

He can’t step up and temporarily be a No. 1 receiver if, heaven forbid, George Pickens gets hurt.

He hasn’t done much since catching 63 passes for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. He tore his ACL during the 2023 season’s third game.

Williams has pedigree. He was the seventh pick overall in 2017’s draft. He’s had two 1,000-yard seasons, the most recent in 2021.

Williams should be motivated after escaping the tyrannical reign of Aaron Rodgers in New York. Rodgers called Williams out for running the wrong routes, which bodes poorly for Williams quickly learning the Steelers’ playbook. Rodgers is a jerk but didn’t fabricate that.

Williams is 6-4, as mentioned. He joins Pickens (6-3), Pat Freiermuth (6-5) and Darnell Washington (6-7) as big targets.

Quarterback Russell Wilson is already efficient in the red zone. The best way to create more space in the red zone is vertically, especially inside the 10. That may be how Williams helps most.

Williams is physical and good at combat catches. That matches well with Wilson’s penchant for trusting his receivers to come down with his trademark moon balls.

Williams theoretically could be a good influence on the Steelers’ younger receivers like Pickens. But not if he runs routes improperly like he did in New York.

I feel like this column is overanalyzing an acquisition that’s likely a big nothingburger.

Williams isn’t Hopkins. He’s not Brandon Aiyuk. He’s not Davante Adams.

Williams isn’t enough. It’s a minuscule upgrade. A big one was needed.

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