The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: How will George Pickens respond on the field to recent scrutiny?
Outside of perhaps his college injury, this may be the most difficult week of George Pickens’ career. While it’s not the first time he’s been in the spotlight for his behavior, it’s been magnified and then some. You have people who’ve reached a tipping point already and are convinced that he needs to be off the team.
That’s not going to happen, at least not this week. Head coach Mike Tomlin even confirmed that he will play on Saturday, so there is no chance that he’s being benched. Whatever discipline he might receive will take place behind closed doors.
Interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner talked about Pickens’ effort plays (or lack thereof) and how you call those out in front of the team and then you move on. I’m hoping that Pickens’ team meeting came after his media session on Tuesday, though, when he blamed the media.
At the end of the day, though, he is paid to do one job, and that is be an NFL wide receiver. The principal responsibility of his position is to catch passes and score. We’ve seen the tremendous talent he’s able to put on display at times.
So will we see it on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals? In Pickens’ last seven games, he is averaging 3.4 catches on 5.4 targets for 41.7 yards, and he has not scored. He found the end zone four times in his first seven games, but since then he’s been doing his best Diontae Johnson impersonation, circa 2022.
There is a possibility that the next three weeks determine Pickens’ future in Pittsburgh, although it might not sound like it to listen to Tomlin. Still, if he doesn’t turn things around and show that he can perform at a level high enough to justify the headaches, he could find himself shipped out like Chase Claypool and Martavis Bryant. Which may be what he wants, for all we know.
