While Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens improved in Year 2 to the tune of 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns, there’s an expectation that he can do even better and exceed those numbers in Year 3. Former offensive coordinator Matt Canada was to blame for a lot of Pittsburgh’s issues on offense, and even though Pickens had a solid season, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes that the former second-round draft pick was a victim of Canada’s game planning abilities or lack thereof.
“I think he was probably a little bit of a victim of Canada’s inability to craft good game plans and to call good games. So hopefully with Arthur Smith we could see even more out of Pickens,” Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan.
While Pickens’ 2023 numbers were solid, there were games where he was a complete non-factor, which shouldn’t be the case for a receiver with his talent level. Pickens had seven games under 40 yards last season, and while quarterback play is also to blame, it’s clear that Canada wasn’t doing enough to make sure he was involved in the offense.
Even with Diontae Johnson in the mix last season, Pickens was Pittsburgh’s most talented receiver. He’ll enter 2024 as the team’s clear-cut top receiver. With Smith running the offense, Pickens could really be due for a true breakout season, especially without a reliable No. 2 wide receiver across from him.
Smith’s garnered plenty of praise from around the league as a play caller, and the offense seems to have taken a liking to his scheme. Pickens is going to need to play a big role for the passing attack to have success, and with improved play-calling and improved quarterback play with Russell Wilson likely starting, Pickens could ascend into one of the best receivers in football.
The offense as a whole should be better, with an improved offensive line and a rushing attack that should be one of the best in football. There’s no doubt that Canada’s offense hurt the Steelers over the past few seasons. Couple it with poor quarterback play out of Kenny Pickett, and you have an offense that didn’t consistently get the ball to its top receiver and struggled to do much of anything.
That should change in 2024, and if the Steelers work on getting the ball to Pickens, especially with a diverse route tree, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make his first Pro Bowl.
