Steelers Need Wideouts Behind George Pickens To Seriously Step Up: "Other Teams Know They Can Get Under His Skin"

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an almost perfect offseason, besides upgrading in the wide receiver room. From replacing the quarterbacks, fixing the offensive line, and adding more stars to an already loaded defense, the Steelers front office absolutely cooked. Unfortunately, for years now, Pittsburgh has struggled putting up points. In today's league, in order to put up points, you need a good passing game with weapons to catch the ball. Outside of George Pickens, who is entering his third season, the organization has a whole bunch of question marks.

Pickens will be the true number one wideout on the depth chart. As a second round draft pick out of Georgia in 2022, he joined a Steelers squad that already had a solidified number one receiver in Diontae Johnson. Pickens, who from the jump clearly had more talent than Johnson, remained as the number two for his first two seasons. 

During Pittsburgh's electric offseason, Johnson was traded in order to upgrade at cornerback. The Steelers then would select Michigan product Roman Wilson in the 2024 NFL Draft in order to recover from the loss at receiver. Pittsburgh is now left with a receiving core of Pickens, Wilson, Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, and a few others that more than likely won't be getting a ton of targets. 

The question now is can the others behind Pickens make enough of an impact? Over the course of his first two seasons, he has had his fair share of outbursts for not getting the ball. Steelers insider Brian Batko shared that other teams understand this, and they will know how to take Pickens out of the game if none of the other receivers become a threat. 

The loss of Johnson might be more critical than some realize. The team has remained in trade rumors for some big name wideouts all offseason, but nothing indicates that they plan on making a move. There's been a lot of excitement about tight end Pat Freiermuth's role in Arthur Smith's new offense. Still, Pickens remains as the only proven threat to play outside. Other young guys like Austin and Wilson will have a lot of pressure on their shoulders this year.

During the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's North Shore Drive podcast, Batko went over the receiving room and how someone needs to step up behind Pickens. 

"We always hear the Steelers discuss how talented he is, other teams are going to know that as well. They know they can probably get under his skin if they're taking the ball away from him, so it's going to be a team effort."

Batko proceeds by mentioning how the Steelers plan to be a run-first offense anyway, which is true. Running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren go into their third season together as a tandem, and Smith could ultimately turn them into the best duo in the NFL. Having a strong rushing attack will open up more opportunities for Pickens, even if no one else behind him steps up. 

Steelers' George Pickens Is Getting More Reps In At The Slot

In one of his last interviews towards the end of mandatory minicamp, Pickens shared that he has been getting more work in the slot. To this point, the Steelers haven't used him at the slot a whole lot. He's been thrown in there here and there, about 13% as a rookie and 16% last season according to Batko. 

Through two seasons, Pickens hasn't missed a game, and has caught 115 passes on 190 targets for over 1,900 yards and nine touchdowns. He's been able to put up these numbers despite catching passes from guys like Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph. Now, Pickens has two solid quarterbacks between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

What do you think about the Steelers receivers' abilities to step up? Let us know in the comments below!

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