A Disgusted Steelers' George Pickens Posts "Free Me" On Deleted IG Posts; Deletes All Posts Besides 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked alive on Thursday night, as the running game got going in particular. Diontae Johnson was the standout amongst the wide receiver unit, as he finished with seven catches for 90 yards and his first touchdown since 2021. In the meantime, second-year playmaker George Pickens put in his second consecutive disappointing performance.

Heading into Week 8, Pickens was coming off back-to-back 100-yard performances. While Johnson has taken some targets away from him the last two weeks, the Georgia product hasn't taken advantage of his opportunities. In the past two games now, he's caught just three of his 10 targets for a total of just 21 receiving yards. His effort hasn't been there at times, and on Thursday, his body language wasn't either.

After Johnson's crucial touchdown late in the game, Pickens was seen on the bench looking quite unhappy. On Friday, Pickens posted an Instagram story with the caption "Free Me." The story has since been deleted, along with all but one of his posts on the social media sites. Now, this could be unrelated to the Steelers, but at the very least, it's not a good look.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently made a point that the team needs to pay close attention to the antics of Pickens. There have now been multiple instances of his behavior lately, including a costly 15-yard taunting penalty just a few weeks ago against the Los Angeles Rams. His opponents know that he's got a short fuse, as former Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon wanted to try and get in the wide receiver's head earlier this season. 

When asked about his lack of targets, Pickens simply stated that he can't do anything but run his route. If the team can get Pickens and Johnson on the same page on a consistent basis, they can be one of the better wide receiver duos in the NFL. Unfortunately, situations like this seem to loom large in Pittsburgh consistently. Johnson has been excellent since his return from injury, but now the team needs to get Pickens back on track.

Do The Steelers Have A Big Off-Field Issue With Pickens?

Pickens did still get some phenomenal opportunities on Thursday as well, which included a possible touchdown in the third quarter. On a great throw from quarterback Kenny Pickett, the wideout failed to get his second foot down inbounds despite plenty of room to do so. It's not the on-field performance that fans are worried about with Pickens, but rather it's the body language on and off the field.

Wide receivers and drama typically go together, and that even includes in Pittsburgh, For the most part, Head Coach Mike Tomlin has done a great job of taming these kind of situations in the past. He's dealt with several characters throughout the years, and it's no different here. Before things spiral out of control though, it seems like this is a situation that needs to be taken care of.

Are you worried about these issues ballooning up between Pickens and the Steelers? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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