With the Pittsburgh Steelers trading WR Diontae Johnson and not adding another similar-caliber receiver this offseason, WR George Pickens is going to face more attention from opposing defenses. But the increase in attention isn’t a concern for Pickens.
“When Diontae was here, we were both being double-teamed. So it’s really gonna be the same treatment, to be honest. If you’re a good player, coordinators and owners are going to double-team you,” Pickens said via Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube.
Pickens ended up having a productive 2023 season with 63 receptions for 1,140 yards, and he also expanded his route tree a bit, although he still had the most vertical routes in football. Still, there were weeks where he struggled to make an impact with seven games under 40 receiving yards. Without Johnson in the lineup last season as he nursed a hamstring injury though, Pickens was generally productive with 17 receptions for 357 yards in the four games that Johnson missed. There was only one bad performance in there, Pickens going for three catches and 25 yards in a 30-6 loss to the Texans.
The entire Steelers offense was stuck in the mud that game though, and Kenny Pickett exited early with an injury. Pickens emerged as Pittsburgh’s No. 1 last season, and while Johnson did take some pressure off him, he was still facing double teams and extra coverage throughout the year. It’s Pickens’ performance without Johnson along with his natural talent that gives some hope that facing even more coverage this season won’t be a problem.
It’s going to be important for Pickens to continue to expand his route tree and work more underneath. That was a role in which Johnson functioned well, and Pickens got better last season, showing he wasn’t just a deep threat. It’s just an area that’s going to have to have to continue to improve for him to be effective as possible with defenses keying on him more without a bigger threat across from him on the outside.
The nature of Arthur Smith’s offense can also work in Pickens’ favor, with it being play-action heavy in the passing game, and Smith can look to scheme Pickens open, too. There’s no doubt that Pickens is going to face more double teams than he has, but it’s not going to be a big adjustment or anything new for him given that he’s been the focus of opposing defenses before.
The amount of coverage Pickens faces and the looks that defenses throw at him are still going to be things to watch, especially early in the season. But he doesn’t think it’ll be too much of an obstacle and nothing in the past has shown us that it will be a big issue for him to overcome. Time will tell, but I can’t say I’m overly concerned about Pickens’ output and production even with more defensive attention.
