Remember when the Pittsburgh Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys this past offseason? With maturity, or lack thereof, being among the main questions surrounding the immensely talented wide receiver's unceremonious exit?
There was never any doubt about Pickens' skills. Much of his well-chronicled departure from the Steelers was character-related (and financially driven), at least from the outside looking in. Yet, the problems Pittsburgh tried to avoid with him came knocking at their door courtesy of his replacement, D.K. Metcalf.
The CBS broadcast captured Metcalf confronting and attempting to strike a fan in the stands during the Steelers' 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions. It was an ugly scene that was acknowledged, albeit neglected in real time, and Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin uncharacteristically turned a blind eye postgame.
Wasn't this the volatility and drama the Steelers ostensibly worked diligently to avoid by moving Pickens?
DK Metcalf incident puts Steelers' George Pickens trade front and center
This is not what the Steelers anticipated when they acquired Metcalf and signed him to a four-year, $120 million contract extension and dealt Pickens. Frankly, it's the exact opposite of their expectations and desires.
Despite being a remarkable playmaker, the Steelers were reportedly "growing tired" of Pickens' behavior and not knowing which version of him they'd get daily. ESPN's Todd Archer and Jeremy Fowler highlighted this in an extensive feature piece about his demise in Pittsburgh and subsequent rise in Dallas.
With Pickens' well-chronicled past and breakup with the Steelers in mind, Metcalf's embarrassment of one of the NFL's most storied franchises only heightens. Sure, there were concerns about the former's repeated tardiness and inconsistent effort, but he never crossed the line that the latter did in Detroit.
Of course, Metcalf's actions don't excuse Pickens entirely, though they raise some valid issues. Whether there's a correlation between the respective situations is at the top of the list, considering the Steelers are the common denominator.
Pittsburgh's checkered history with wideouts is certainly worth exploring following the Metcalf incident. He suddenly joins Pickens as a member of a long-running catalog of electrifying yet flawed contributors at the position. So, it's fair to wonder if this is an in-house problem.
Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, Martavis Bryant, and Antonio Brown; these are names Steeler Nation got to know and love, some more than others. For whatever it's worth, all the players before Metcalf have all notably come and gone.