Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: WR George Pickens
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: The second-year player did not look like a number one receiver for the Steelers in their 30-6 loss Sunday to the Houston Texans. He had a number of opportunities to make plays that he failed to deliver on, even if they weren’t outright drops. He also reportedly failed to maintain his composure.
At some point this offseason, George Pickens declared himself the greatest wide receiver. In the world. He also said in the same interview that he gets bored when he’s not getting the ball and he wants the attention of being the playmaker, which is why he started emphasizing his blocking so he can be noticed even when he’s not getting the ball.
In spite of a team-high seven targets on Sunday, however, Pickens only came out of Houston with three catches for 25 yards, with a long of 17. On top of that, he fumbled at the end of his first reception — it fortuitously rolled out of bounds — having already drawn an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty earlier in the game.
Pickens was unable to gain separation from CB Shaquille Griffin on one early third-and-8 target, coming over the middle, so by the time QB Kenny Pickett’s pass reached him, the defender was able to come over across his body and knock the pass away.
Although it would have been an excellent play, he also failed to hold onto what would have been a touchdown pass in the third quarter on first down. He had the ball in his two hands as he elevated but was unable to secure it as he went to the ground, the defender already draped over him able to dislodge it.
The thing is, these are plays that aren’t being made by somebody for whom there are the highest expectations. We already have people talking about him being a future Hall of Famer. But if he has that type of talent, then these are the types of plays that he is going to have to come up with.
We are too quick to anoint everybody, either positively or negatively, without giving them an appropriate amount of time for them to show us who they really are. It is possible that Pickens won’t be enshrined in Canton.
But that won’t be because of this game alone. There are plenty of great games in his future, I have no doubt, and some fabulous catches. But at least on this day, he wasn’t even the greatest wide receiver on the field, let alone in the world.
