George Pickens is continuing a trend with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers. Over the past couple of decades, the Steelers have been blessed with talent at the wide receiver position. There have also been some behavioral issues. Still, the Steelers have usually managed to make things work. That hasn’t quite been the case with Pickens, though. CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala thinks the Steelers must change their approach with the star receiver.
“Something’s got to change,” Kinkhabwala said via 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday. “You can’t expect him [George Pickens] at this point to just wake up one day and say, ‘You know what, I’m going to be a consummate professional from here on out. This is a guy who needs some help getting there. So help him get there.”
In terms of help, the Steelers haven’t done much. They’re in a tough position. Because of the lack of talent elsewhere on the offense, they can’t afford to be too harsh with Pickens. Oftentimes, he’s been the only true playmaker on the offense. Ultimately, they clearly haven’t done enough to keep him in check.
The Steelers could try to bring in a veteran receiver to help George Pickens. They need help at the position in general, and they’ll probably look closely at it during the draft. Even if they use a pick on a receiver, getting some sort of veteran voice in the room with Pickens would be a good move.
Kinkabwala thinks the 2025 season offers the Steelers a good chance to make a final evaluation of George Pickens.
“If he doesn’t have the maturity to say, ‘Okay, this is my prove-it year,'” Kinkabwala said. “I’m going to make them [Steelers] regret this because I’ll be worth so much more money a year from now than I am right now. If he’s able to do that, then that tells you something about his social and emotional maturity.”
Earlier this week, Steelers GM Omar Khan spoke at the Combine. He had good things to say about Pickens. Khan claimed to have a good exit interview with him and reiterated the desire of both sides to make things work in Pittsburgh.
There are reasons to be optimistic about things working out. Earlier this offseason, former NFL receiver Chad Johnson claimed he spoke to Pickens and gave him some guidance. If that call went well, and George Pickens had a good meeting with Khan, then those are two good first steps towards a successful 2025.
