If the Steelers trade anybody this offseason, WR George Pickens is the most likely candidate. While we have heard the names of Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt bandied about quite a bit, those seem far-fetched. At least, they would be more out of character with the team’s history.
If the Steelers trade George Pickens, though, they can’t make the same mistake they made with Diontae Johnson. At least, that is what I read into Mark Kaboly’s recent article on X that formulates a plan for the offseason. Before they seriously entertain any offers, he argues, they absolutely must have a replacement in line first.
“To be able to turn this offense into something that can consistently win games, they need to add playmakers and not subtract them”, Kaboly wrote on the Steelers potentially trading George Pickens. “I am not suggesting that they won’t or shouldn’t trade Pickens, but if they do, they better have a legitimate WR1 in tow before making any sort of call”.
In 14 games last season, George Pickens caught 59 passes for 900 yards and three touchdowns. He found a spark playing with Russell Wilson at quarterback, putting up stronger numbers. In his first six games after Wilson took over, he caught 29 passes for 487 yards and three touchdowns. Prorated over a full season, that translates to 82 catches for 1,380 yards and eight touchdowns—a career year.
Last March, though they had Pickens, the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson without adequately replacing him. While it still appears they made the right decision, the offense suffered without his skill set. Rookie WR Roman Wilson’s injury hurt their chances, and their failure to land on a trade more robust than a washed-up Mike Williams sealed the deal. That’s all the more reason that they have to have their replacement on the roster before trading Pickens.
“They can’t move on from Pickens and then piece[meal] the receiver room together again”, Kaboly wrote. “That will be disastrous and has proven not to work. Even though Calvin Austin III took a major step forward and Roman Wilson being a wild card, GM Omar Khan needs to upgrade the position significantly”.
Kaboly names wide receivers like Davante Adams, Deebo Samuel, and Tyreek Hill, calling top free agent Tee Higgins an extreme longshot. Other potential George Pickens replacements the Steelers might consider are Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, and Keenan Allen, he writes.
Or, he suggests, the Steelers can finally use a first-round pick on a wide receiver again, but that is complicated. If they plan to do that, then they can’t trade George Pickens until late April at the earliest. Most trades of consequence happen at the start of the new league year, though not all. But, Kaboly says, that can’t “put all their eggs in a Brandon Aiyuk-like basket just for it not to pan out” again. “To me, adding a legitimate No. 2 receiver to play alongside Pickens isn’t necessarily a terrible thing”.
