Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin believes wide receiver George Pickens is not becoming a problem for the team, even though Pickens has shown signs of frustration.
Pickens, who is the team’s leader in receptions and yards, played a career-low 34 snaps during the recent 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He caught three passes for only 26 yards, which is his lowest this season, and spent a lot of time watching from the sidelines.
Tomlin explained that the reduction in Pickens’ playing time is a strategy called load management. He said, “Most players, particularly in today’s game that have specialized skill sets, they play positions like receiver (and) they don’t play every down.
They don’t play every down because you need them in significant moments. You need them at the back half of the season. You need them in the second half of football games and those weighty downs.”
However, Pickens didn’t seem to take this decision well. He wore eye black that said “always (expletive) open” during the game and appeared to sit alone for long periods while his teammates talked to coaches.
After one play where quarterback Justin Fields threw a pass over him, Pickens slammed his helmet in frustration. At the end of the game, after a failed series of laterals, he grabbed the facemask of Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who later called Pickens “weak.”
Pickens avoided talking to reporters after the game and did the same on Monday, choosing to go to the team’s equipment room instead of facing the media.
This isn’t the first time Pickens has faced criticism for his effort. Last season, he was called out for not blocking during a play when a teammate had a long run, which he said was due to trying to avoid injury.
Tomlin has consistently supported Pickens publicly, stating in September that he “absolutely” believes Pickens will respond better to challenges on and off the field as he enters his third season.
When asked on Tuesday if he still feels the same way after discussing some of Pickens’ recent mistakes, Tomlin said, “In those instances, no, but largely it’s been an improvement in those areas, certainly.”
More importantly, Tomlin emphasized that he doesn’t want to make any issues he has with a player public.
He said, “This business between he and I, in terms of his growth and development as a player and as a man, I just don’t think it aids that growth and development to address it in open settings such as this.”
Tomlin also mentioned that he had informed Pickens about the decision to reduce his playing time before the game against Dallas, and Pickens did not have a problem with it.
The Steelers need Pickens to be focused and on the field for a balanced offense.
The performance of the receivers behind him, including Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller, has been quite limited. Pickens has 23 receptions through five games, which is more than the total of Jefferson, Miller, and Calvin Austin III combined (18).
It didn’t help that quarterback Justin Fields had a tough game against Dallas, completing only 55% of his passes (15 out of 27), although he did throw two touchdowns in the second half, including one to tight end Pat Freiermuth that put the Steelers ahead with less than five minutes left.
Fields is expected to make his sixth straight start on Sunday against Las Vegas (2-3). Russell Wilson is anticipated to fully participate in practice on Wednesday for the first time since aggravating a calf injury before the season opener in Atlanta. Fields will practice with the starters on Wednesday, while Wilson will work with the backups.
