Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens has been the team’s leading receiver this year, with 22 receptions for 393 yards and two touchdowns in five games. While he’s had big games, like his six-reception, 130-yard performance with a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s Week Five win over the Baltimore Ravens, there have been a few duds this year, too. Former NFL defensive lineman and current analyst Chris Long thinks the Steelers need to take a shot to Pickens once a possession. On his Green Light Podcast, Long explained why he wants to see Pickens get the ball more.
“And I’d like to see more [George] Pickens, in general. I say it every week, I would take one back shoulder shot at him every fucking possession. Because every time you do it, for two-and-half seconds, everyone’s looking around for flags. You know, for an offense that doesn’t move the ball, I would take the upside. It’s like playing Moneyball or something, which I don’t fully understand,” Long said. “Moneyball for the Steelers is use George Pickens better.”
While Moneyball for the Oakland A’s came in getting on base more in lieu of power and taking advantage of stats at the time that were undervalued, Long thinks that the Steelers can do something similar by throwing the ball up to Pickens and hoping he makes a play or draws a penalty.
Pittsburgh’s offense has really struggled so far this year, both through the air and on the ground. They need to find a solution, and getting the ball to Pickens even in situations where he might not necessarily be open is certainly a thought. But at the same time, it’s not as if the offense and QB Kenny Pickett is ignoring Pickens. He has 40 targets this season, or an average of eight a game. Those numbers might go down with Diontae Johnson back, although they probably shouldn’t.
That’s a solid number of targets for Pickens, but it’s where he’s getting those targets that could change. Long wants to see back shoulder throws, presumably along the sideline which was Pickens special last season and a skill that he utilized again against Baltimore.
In an effort to improve his route tree, Pickens saw some targets over the middle of the field early in the season, and that’s where he might see more with Johnson back as well. He took a 71-yard catch-and-run to the house on a route over the middle against the Cleveland Browns in Week Two, but he’s also capable of making those back shoulder catches along the sideline even when there’s. defender draped all over him. It’s going to need to be a balance of getting Pickens those balls down the sideline and spreading him out and getting him the ball between the numbers.
No matter what the solution is, it’s clear that something has to change with this offense for the Steelers to have any real shot of competing. We’ll see what, if anything, has changed next week when the Steelers return from their bye week and take on the Los Angeles Rams.
You can watch the full Green Light podcast below:
