The Pittsburgh Steelers decided that they'd had enough of the headaches with the talented, but frustrating wide receiver Diontae Johnson after five seasons. The team shipped him off to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and a swap of draft picks on Tuesday. The trade leaves George Pickens and Calvin Austin III as the only wide receivers left on the roster who caught more than 10 passes in the 2023 season. As the team's leading receiver during the campaign, Pickens will now take on the mantle of being the top receiver in Pittsburgh's offense going forward.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A6110-544x306.jpg "Steelers George Pickens Joey Porter Jr.")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers receiver George Pickens (14) taunts cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) after making a catch against him in a training camp practice in 2023.
Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brian Batko joined former long-time Pittsburgh cornerback, Ike Taylor, and host Mark Bergin on the Bleav In Steelers podcast on Wednesday to chat about the franchise's early offseason moves. He said it's felt like the writing has been on the wall for a while that the team would move on from the third-round pick from the 2019 NFL Draft. Batko softly predicted a move was coming for Johnson in February. The combination of the team's brass starting to tire of Johnson, plus being on the last year of his deal, made a trade feel almost inevitable.
Some wondered if Pickens would pass Johnson in the 2023 season as the team's number-one receiver. With Johnson gone, there's no question that this is the Georgia Bulldogs product's job now.
"The reason you do this is to show George Pickens, like this is your room now," Batko said. "You're the big dog now in the wide receiver room."
Taylor agreed that this is a big show of faith in Pickens, who took a step forward down the stretch of the season, after numerous questions about his maturity earlier in the season. One of the biggest signs of Pickens taking a step towards showing he can be a mature professional athlete was in the team's final regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers receiver George Pickens carries the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during a Week 18 regular season game in 2024.
The weather for the game in Week 18 was abysmal, with a torrential downpour of rain and wild winds. Pickens' only touch of the game was a three-yard run. Earlier in the season, he likely would've had some kind of outburst or inclining he wasn't happy about it. He handled it professionally however, and his teammates took notice.
"He's a one (No. 1 WR) and he's got to be the one and the leader," Taylor said of the ramifications of the trade. "It's a little but different to the one on the field, now you're the one and the leader."
Pickens took an appropriate step forward statistically in his second season as more opportunities came his way. He amassed 1,140 receiving yards on 63 receptions for a league-leading 18.1 yards per reception per Pro Football Reference. With Johnson spending time on injured reserve, Pickens became the Steelers' number one target.
Pickens benefited immensely from the insertion of Mason Rudolph into the starting lineup, as the downfield passing game opened up. He collected a career-high 195 receiving yards against the Cincinnati Bengals while adding two touchdowns. In Week 16, he followed it up with 131 receiving yards. The team's signing of Russell Wilson, who can still uncork the deep ball, should be good news for Pickens.
Steelers Still Need Another Receiver
Omar Khan and the front office will still need to work in the offseason to find another reliable pass-catcher to add to the group. Austin hasn't shown enough yet to anoint him as the number two guy behind Pickens. His speed and ability to get behind defenses are still valuable, but with his diminutive size, he struggles with the physical aspects of the position.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers receiver Calvin Austin III tries to escape a tackle against the Las Vegas Raiders during Week 3 in 2023.
Pittsburgh needs to find another option to be relied upon besides Pickens, whether it's in the leftovers of free agency, or the NFL Draft. The important thing there Batko says is not to disrupt the dynamic of Pickens being the top guy.
Pickens started to say the right things towards the latter part of the 2023 season. Now, as the unquestioned leader of the receiver room, he's going to have to follow up on that talk.
Do you like the team anointing Pickens as the number one? Who do you like as an option for the Steelers to bring in as their new second receiver? Comment below!
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