George Pickens’ time with the Pittsburgh Steelers has come to an end. While he had a fine 2024 season, his attitude was still a huge problem. Going into the final year of his rookie contract, Pickens was a prime trade candidate. The Steelers decided to ship him off to the Dallas Cowboys for draft picks. Former NFL offensive lineman Terron Armstead is left confused by the move.
“I don’t know what the Steelers are doing,” Armstead said Wednesday on Chris Simms Unbuttoned. “It’s hard for me to gather what’s their plan offensively. They don’t have a solidified quarterback in the building. I know they traded for DK Metcalf, but you want as many guys that can win one-on-ones as possible. I’m really interested to see the direction of the Steelers’ offense.
“I know that defense will be what it is again. They’re stacked over there on defense. You’ve gotta score points to win. You’ve gotta score points to win in this game, especially in the regular season, you’ve gotta put up points. It’s a faster game now, more points being scored than ever. I don’t really know the direction of the Steelers’ offense.”
Armstead is correct that quality offenses feel more important now than ever. Unfortunately, that side of the ball has been an issue for the Steelers. While their defense has been mostly stellar, they’ve been unable to field an offense that can consistently support them.
This year, it looked like that could’ve changed. The Steelers’ trade for Metcalf gave them a huge boost. Their offensive line has been coming along nicely, too, and they just added an explosive running back in Kaleb Johnson. However, by trading away Pickens, the Steelers leave themselves once again lacking weapons.
Also, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a clear direction at quarterback. They’ve been courting Aaron Rodgers, but no deal is done yet. While Rodgers is 41 years old, he still looks like a good player. If the Steelers sign him, he should give them their best quarterback in years.
However, Rodgers likely can’t carry a franchise like he once did. Therefore, it’s important to give him a nice supporting cast. Trading Pickens does not do that. It leaves wide receiver as a weakness for the Steelers.
Maybe the Steelers have a plan to change that, though. They can still add another veteran receiver. Although they probably won’t add someone as talented as Pickens, they could upgrade over what they currently have at wideout.
Arthur Smith’s offense has been successful with only one dominant receiver before, too. Some pieces could still fall in place to give the Steelers’ offense more direction, including signing Rodgers. At the moment, trading Pickens seems odd, but maybe there’s a plan in place to fix Pittsburgh’s issues on offense.
