Everything surrounding George Pickens in Week 5 was rather bizarre. From the eye black with a profane message on it, to the dirty play at the end of the game in which he ripped Dallas Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis to the ground by his facemask. None of it was a good look, but even more puzzling was his lack of snaps on offense.
Before Week 5, Pickens’ lowest snap total came in Week 1 with 46 snaps on offense, which was 68 percent of the offense’s total snaps. Against the Cowboys, he logged just 34 snaps (59 percent). For a team that really doesn’t have a viable WR2, that raises all kinds of questions. Mike Tomlin explained it away as load management.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith spoke to the media Thursday and gave an additional explanation today ahead of Week 6.
“We were limited [in] possession[s] the way the game flowed. So it was our own doing. Obviously not being as efficient [as] we had been on third down. We had two shots in the high red zone in the second half and didn’t convert for different reasons,” Smith said in a transcript provided by the team. “But you go into any game plan, certain players, how you try to package things, you try to maximize snaps…Certainly we’ve done it with other premium players. Done it with Derrick Henry…Did it with A.J. Brown early, certain things, tried to mix or match and maximize things or set things up.
“I get it. You lose a game and something may look off or whatever, but it’s not. And we communicate to any player. Whether it’s Scotty [Miller], or Van [Jefferson] or Connor Heyward. Guys know the roles, got to know the backups, and how you package things. Those are week-to-week things. That’s the best way I can answer it.”
Below is a clip from Smith’s press conference from TribLive’s Chris Adamski on X.
So Pickens’ lack of snaps had more to do with the flow of the game and the personnel packages than any possible benching or discipline. Our Alex Kozora had a great explanation of why Pickens saw fewer snaps. Pickens was in on 100 percent of the 11-personnel packages with three receivers on the field. For the 12- and 13-personnel plays, he was on the field much less. Some of that could have to do with the Steelers trusting Van Jefferson more as a blocker.
I still think they need to get George Pickens on the field. If you are taking him off, that seems like a fairly large tell that you aren’t going to be passing, or at least not outside the hash marks. But that also means Pickens needs to hold up his end of the deal and engage more as a blocker. We have all seen how capable he is when he wants to be.
Against the Cowboys, Pickens had just three receptions for 26 yards. He dropped a crucial pass on third down that could have been a nice gain. He still doesn’t have a touchdown in the 2024 season. Given the lofty expectations entering the year, he is way underperforming relative to his potential. For the passing attack to work, and really for the offense in general to operate effectively, Pickens has to be a big part of the game plan every week.
