The Steelers lost a 'heart breaker' at home to the Dallas Cowboys in a game that could be the difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs, depending on how the rest of the AFC North plays the remaining games we and they have against not only the Cowboys but the rest of the NFC East.
Part of the reason we lost to the Cowboys was an ineffective offense. That storyline seems like it's been 'in play' for quite some time. As of this writing, the Steelers offense is ranked twenty-third in average yards per game and twenty-seventh in average passing yards per game.
Although George Pickens is leading the team in receiving yards, he managed only three receptions for twenty-six yards. What is alarming to me about Pickens is that he is immensely talented but if he is not the focal point of the offense, he seems to 'check out'. Pickens reminds me of a former Steelers receiver who was 'cut' from a similar cloth.
Steelers may have a problem brewing with Pickens
Before we go any further, let me say this: I don't know Pickens personally. I only know what I see. What I saw at the end of the Cowboys game was beyond alarming. Pickens grabbed the facemask of a Cowboys DB and yanked it for no reason other than frustration and probably some immaturity.
As I said, Pickens is immensely talented with tremendous upside, similar to another 'big body' receiver we drafted in the first round in the 2000 NFL draft. Standing six feet and five inches tall, Burress was truly the 'big' receiver we needed at that time.
In his six-year Steelers career, Burress caught two-hundred and sixty-four balls for a little over four-thousand yards and notched twenty-three receiving TDs. While he did not possess 'blazing' speed, he was plenty fast when running routes and could take the 'top off' a defense.
Burress was a welcome addition to a receiving corps that frankly lacked size and the ability to separate consistently. If this is starting to sound familiar, it should. Pickens has size at six feet and three inches tall and has the speed, better speed than Burress I might add, to 'stretch the field'.
Similar to Pickens, Burress was what I would label a 'temperamental' player. If things were going well, meaning if he was an integral part of the offensive game plan, Burress was locked in and was 'scary' good. Conversely, if things were not going well, he would 'check out' or, at least, it seemed that way to me based on what I saw on the field.
This is exactly what we are witnessing from Pickens, but the game against the Cowboys was not the first time Pickens let his emotions get the better of him. We have seen this sort of behavior from Pickens since he was drafted in 2022.
Look, I appreciate and understand the fact that Mike Tomlin does not want to simply give up on Pickens. The reality is this: finding a 'big body' receiver with speed and the ability to catch the ball in the manner that Pickens catches the ball is easier said than done.
Burress played his first five seasons with the Steelers, then played the next five seasons for two other teams until playing his final year with us. His career had come full circle. It was interesting to read what Burress said about the decision to sign with the Giants.
That certainly does not mean that Pickens will follow the same career path as Burress followed, but with the way things are unfolding with Pickens, he may not see his five-year Steelers anniversary. To be fair to Pickens, I'm not entirely sure he is suited for the style of offense Arthur Smith deploys.
I think Pickens would thrive in an 'air raid' or pass-heavy type of offense where the running game is almost an afterthought. Unfortunately for him and for us, that is not the type of offensive scheme we have or will have for at least the rest of this season.
So what do the Steelers do with Pickens? Since Pickens is really the only receiver we currently have with any 'length and speed', we can't just trade him, but we also can't continue to tolerate the antics. I would not want to be Tomlin right now as he definitely has a a problem brewing. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, pardon the pun.