We say it every year, and it’s always true in some way or another, but the 2023 season is a big one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s the first full season with QB Kenny Pickett, their first stab at a successor to future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger, who retired after the 2021 season.
This year can go a long way toward determining what their ceiling is with the group of players they currently have on the roster, and among the key players in that nucleus is WR George Pickens, who came in with Pickett through the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Georgia product has been taken under wing by veteran Allen Robinson II, who head coach Mike Tomlin assigned to be his roommate. But Pickens is also spending plenty of time with Diontae Johnson, the two forming a sort of healthy rivalry.
“He follows me, he tries to pick my brain a little bit on stuff and whatnot”, Johnson said of Pickens yesterday, via the team’s website. “He makes a play, I gotta make a play. We both challenge each other out there. I’m challenging him to be the best person he can be every day and I’m doing the same as well”.
Now in his fifth season, Johnson is coming off a season of excruciating frustration. He talked about how it dogged him every week that he failed to get into the end zone, going all year without doing so, but he’s past that now and ready for a fresh season.
Part of the issue the Steelers had on offense last season was the lack of chemistry and rhythm between Pickett and his primary targets. That came because of the structure of the offseason, with Mitch Trubisky running with the first-team personnel (and Mason Rudolph often with the second group).
As a result, by the time Pickett got thrust into the starting lineup, he had minimal experience working directly with players like Johnson, and they had to forge a rapport on the fly, even stealing reps on the sideline during games.
That was somewhat less of an issue for Pickett with Pickens, since they went through rookie minicamp together and spent more time working in the same groups during the offseason. It’s no surprise that throwing to him was Pickett’s strongest connection, which included four of his seven touchdown passes.
But the whole group should benefit this year not only from the greater amount of time that they have to work together, but also from the quasi competition between Johnson and Pickens, both of whom want to make their share of plays for this offense.
Yet while he wants to be a dominant receiver, Johnson is not shying away from passing on what he knows to guys like Pickens, as all efforts contribute positively to their shared goals. And perhaps the best thing he can offer is how he practices and prepares. “I’m just gonna keep leading by example”, he said.
