The regular season is upon us as Pittsburgh closed out the preseason last weekend and has cut its roster down to the league-mandated 53. The Steelers still could sorely use some reinforcements at wide receiver and slot cornerback as has been mentioned all summer. But with Pittsburgh being a week away from heading to Atlanta for its regular season opener against the Falcons, we have to presume this is the group that it is rolling with unless it makes a quick move prior to Week 1.
If nothing comes to fruition before then at wideout, third-year veteran George Pickens looks to be far and away Pittsburgh’s alpha receiver for the 2024 season. After Pittsburgh traded WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for CB Donte Jackson, a massive hole opened up at receiver behind Pickens on the depth chart. They did select Michigan WR Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he is iffy to start the season after dealing with a hamstring injury for almost all of training camp.
Outside of Wilson, Pittsburgh only has Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, and Scotty Miller behind Pickens. All have roles that they can play in the passing game, but none perfectly fit that WR2 role that Pittsburgh needs. Sure, Pittsburgh will have TE Pat Freiermuth contributing as a pumped-up receiver on offense. But Pickens is in prime position for a dominant 2024 season given the amount of targets available as well as the other options around him not demanding that same target share that Pickens will with Russell Wilson under center.
Last season, Pickens saw 106 targets (20.9% target share). He converted that into 63 receptions for 1,140 yards (18.1 yards per reception) and five touchdowns while taking his YAC from literally the league worst as a rookie to top 10 in the league in his second season. He has shown in the preseason in 2024 that he is still improving as a YAC receiver. He is also improving his route running to complement his deep-ball prowess, having the skill set to take the top off the defense while also taking a short slant the distance as well.
Pittsburgh lost 136 targets with Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson II leaving town. While that should get split up among Wilson, Jefferson, and Austin a good amount, Russell Wilson will likely lean on Pickens more as his clear best target in the passing game while having room for more passing volume than the 506 attempts Pittsburgh had last season, which ranked 29th in the league.
Pickens’ target share should increase along while his yards per reception still remains high as a big-play receiver. There’s a good chance he eclipses the 1,200-yard mark, something no receiver has done in Pittsburgh since 2018 when both Antonio Brown (1,297) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (1,426) did in the same season.
Should Pickens reach that 1,200-1,300-yard mark in 2024, he would put himself in line for a huge contract extension. Talent has never been the issue with Pickens, as he has the prototypical height, weight, speed, and hands you look for in a premier receiver.
However, his maturity and character have often been in question since entering the league, making 2024 a pivotal year for the 23-year-old receiver who is just entering the prime of his career. He needs to show growth in his maturity as well as his play, but unless Pittsburgh trades for a prominent pass catcher — and that is unlikely at best with Brandon Aiyuk no longer available — look for Pickens to push for a year similar to the one Smith-Schuster and Brown each had over a half decade ago.
