How will George Pickens respond on the field to his latest scrutiny?
The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly have a type at wide receiver, and George Pickens is the essence of that type. They haven’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round since 2006, but they look for first-round talents with flaws.
Often enough, those flaws include character flaws, particularly maturity, and we have known that Pickens lacks maturity since before the draft. That he has acted out in the manner in which he has since the Steelers drafted him is not a revelation.
But what happens next? The Steelers have a game to play today, and they need George Pickens to make a difference. That is ultimately what he wants to do, and most of his frustration stems from his inability to do that.
As we have mentioned numerous times this week, Pickens has responded well to criticism before. After his lowest point last season, he caught four passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He played the good soldier for the rest of the year, even during a game in which he had no catches.
But this is the sixth week of the season, so we have a long way to go. How good do you feel about George Pickens behaving himself without something changing substantially? Realistically, the only thing I could see is Russell Wilson playing quarterback and the offensive line settling in. We could see both of those things happen before too long, to be fair.
Now, Pickens needs to be able to control himself regardless of what is going on. But I think we all know he is looking forward to offering his response on the field. That is what he is about. He wants to make plays and be the reason that his team wins games. There is some selfishness involved in there, but that’s true of many great players.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Will Russell Wilson regain his job when he is healthy, or is Justin Fields stealing it? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
