Competition breeds excellence, or so the saying goes.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the hope is that the friendly competition within the wide receiver room between the likes of veteran Diontae Johnson and second-year wide receiver George Pickens creates an excellent one-two punch at the position long-term fro the Black and Gold.
Through two days of training camp, the pairing has pushed each other to one-up the other with plays made on Chuck Noll Field at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in a bit of friendly, healthy competition.
On Day One, Johnson made a spectacular one-handed catch in a team session. Later, Pickens tried to one-up him with some plays made down the field.
Speaking to reporters Friday following Day Two of practice in Latrobe, Pickens said that Johnson pushes him a lot on and off the field, and that he believes it’s only going to make not only him, but the Steelers better in the long run.
“Oh that pushed me a lot. That’s kind of like how I was raised anyway,” Pickens said when asked about the impact Johnson’s one-handed grab had on him in camp. “Like if he make a play, now I’m ready to make a one-hand catch. You see what I mean? Just up it, up it, up it and that’s only gonna make it better. So like I feel like that’s the best way to do it.”
A healthy competition within a position makes for great growth overall — as long as it’s healthy. So far, it looks to be that way in Pittsburgh with Johnson aiming to get back to his lofty status from two seasons ago, while Pickens is aiming to assert himself as a true No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL.
The two were known last season for making highlight-reel plays in the midst of a rather difficult season offensively for the Steelers. There was Johnson’s insane one-handed catch in the Week One win over Cincinnati on the road. Pickens one-upped him two weeks later, hauling in a spectacular one-handed catch against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.
Later in the season, Pickens was a true contested-catch monster, thriving in difficult situations along the sideline for the Steelers, making play after play through the air.
Expectations are high for the second-year receiver entering the 2023 season, as are expectations for Johnson, who infamously went through the 2022 season without scoring a touchdown, setting a record in futility with no touchdowns on 147 targets.
With a full offseason working with quarterback Kenny Pickett, who enters the 2023 season as the unquestioned starter, big things are in store for the Steelers’ wide receiver room. Pushing each other on and off the field, like they are doing already, will only take them to new heights. That’s a great thing for the Steelers moving forward.
