Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens is inactive and won’t play today against the Cleveland Browns. A late-week hamstring injury is holding him out of today’s contest.
“He hurt his hamstring, woke up sore on Friday,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Sunday morning on ESPN countdown.
He added the team decided to take a “long-term view” of his injury. The Steelers have multiple short-week games on the horizon, playing three games in 11 days beginning next Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s the first game Pickens has missed in his three-year NFL career and obvious loss for Pittsburgh’s passing game.
Reports early Sunday morning indicated Pickens was likely to play but needed to test his hamstring before kickoff and receive final clearance. He popped up on the Steelers’ injury report Friday, limited and listed as questionable entering the weekend. Evidently, his hamstring never responded during warmups and our David Orochena, attending today’s game, didn’t spot Pickens take the field pregame with his teammates.
Speaking to CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson about an hour before today’s report, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin expressed optimism over Pickens’ status.
“I’m hopeful that it’ll be a non-issue,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, we’re prepared to manage his reps if muscle fatigue becomes a factor. We’ll play that by ear. But I’m excited about today for all parties involved.”
Instead , Pickens will be out of today’s game. He’s been the Steelers’ leader in receptions and yards this season and is an obvious loss for Pittsburgh’s passing game. Also squashed are the storylines after a war of words with Browns defensive backs last week.
Without Pickens, the team will turn to receivers Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, and Mike Williams against the Browns. Williams could be leaned on as the team’s big-bodied, vertical receiver. The team will also lean on TEs Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington more often.
The Steelers and Browns kick off Sunday at 1 PM/EST.
