Steelers' George Pickens Had A Heated Exchange Following Practice With New Receivers Coach

The Pittsburgh Steelers were known to be unhappy with the antics of their wide receivers during the 2023 season. There were countless times where George Pickens and Diontae Johnson showed a lack of effort, and threw fits on the sidelines. That was hopefully going to be improved in 2024, as Johnson was traded away and a new wide receivers coach was hired in Zach Azzanni.

Pickens and Azzanni reportedly aren't getting off to the best start. Azzanni had already made comments during the offseason about Pickens needing to show more effort, and he approached the receiver for the same reason during the first day of training camp. This was reported by insider Ray Fittipaldo in his recap of the team's first practice in Latrobe.

"New receivers coach Zach Azzanni and George Pickens got into a heated exchange late in practice when Azzanni didn’t like the way Pickens executed his assignment. Pickens didn’t take kindly to Azzanni’s words. Some of the other receivers approached Pickens after the exchange, but Pickens was visibly upset."

This can certainly be seen as an issue, however both parties are competitors. It's Azzanni's job to get the best out of his receivers, even stars like Pickens. It's good to see the new coach is taking it hard on Pickens, as he will be relied upon a ton during the 2024 season with all the question marks behind him in the wide receiver room. Pickens will be facing a lot of defensive attention, and it's important for him not to get discouraged like this during games.

This may seem like another one of Pickens antics, but these kinds of exchanges happen often in the coach-player relationship. It's important not to blow this out of proportion this early on in camp. The two are still getting used to each other, as the only real time they have spent together came during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp. There isn't much to those practices, as many players are shaking rust off and adjusting to the playbook.

Pickens has improved in each of his first two seasons, and is expected to take another leap in 2024. He has the best quarterback situation of his career, and a new offense under a coordinator who has done the job before. Also, Johnson is now gone, which makes Pickens the unquestioned first option in the passing game.

Steelers Need Pickens To Step Up And Be A Leader

Pickens is the only receiver on the Steelers who has been with the organization and actually produced. Calvin Austin III has chipped in some, but he really only has one season under his belt after missing his rookie year with a foot injury. Austin has been a leader in his own right, and was likely one of the players who confronted Pickens and tried to calm him down.

Pickens now has a lot of pressure on him going into 2024, and is expected to meet some high expectations. In order to do that, he needs to practice like a professional and lead his position group. Azzanni is just trying to get the third-year receiver to buy into that, which is something that is important to see in the coach's first season in Pittsburgh.

Hopefully the two sides find some common ground, and form a good working relationship. The last thing the Steelers need is a distraction like this to carry over into the regular season. The coaching from Azzanni, and leadership from a veteran like Russell Wilson should be able to get Pickens to become more of a team player. If these issues persist, Pickens could find himself in the same spot as Johnson, being traded away.

What do you think about the two's exchange? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation