Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens is probably the happiest person to hear the rumors of the team switching to Russell Wilson at quarterback, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests. The third-year wide receiver has produced very erratically this season, not seeing steady targets. Wilson has a better reputation as a traditional passer and could provide an upgrade over Justin Fields.
“George Pickens might be the biggest beneficiary” of the rumored move to Russell Wilson at quarterback, Fittipaldo wrote in his latest chat session. “Pat Freiermuth a close second. They definitely need more out of both. They still need someone to step up as the third option in the passing game”.
The Steelers have the third-fewest pass attempts per game this season at just 26.8. Only the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers have averaged fewer attempts so far. The Steelers also rank fifth from the bottom in passing yards per game. But George Pickens still ranks 19th in the league in receiving yards at 363, 60.5 per game.
Justin Fields is averaging 184.3 passing yards in six games for the Steelers this year, averaging 197.1 last year. He is 106-of-160 passing for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns. None of those touchdowns went to George Pickens, though he did have a touchdown negated in Week 2.
The Steelers very clearly set George Pickens up as their top receiver this offseason for Russell Wilson. They traded Diontae Johnson and released Allen Robinson II. In free agency, they added bargain veterans in Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Quez Watkins. Third-round pick Roman Wilson only made his NFL debut last week, running one route on five snaps.
With Wilson looming, it’s worth looking at Pickens’ season to date with Fields. He has drawn 44 targets, catching 26 for 363 yards and zero touchdowns with one fumble. He does have two or three drops, which is uncharacteristic of him. One wonders if it is partly a byproduct of his frustration over the state of the passing game.
Last season, George Pickens caught 64 passes for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. With the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson went 297-of-440 for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns with 8 interceptions in 15 games. His 17-game average is 3,947 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Steelers have lacked that kind of production in the passing game since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the team totaled 6,574 passing yards with 25 touchdowns to 23 interceptions. George Pickens accounted for 1,941 of those yards and nine of the touchdowns. So if they could pair him with a better quarterback, the theoretical Russell Wilson in this instance, the thinking is that his numbers could substantially improve.
The Steelers really want to find out, too, because he is in a contract year. Pickens is up for an extension in 2025, so if Wilson can help them determine if he is worth it, all the better.
