George

Pickens

Beyond George Pickens, who had 900 receiving yards and three touchdowns over 14 games in 2024, the Steelers had precious little in the way of viable wideouts. Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin alternated in operating as the No. 2 receiver for Pittsburgh. “I think we have positions in the wide receiver room we’re going to have to address,” Rooney said. “I think the wide receiver room is an area we’ve got to look at improving.” Rooney’s comments might mean the Steelers will pursue Chris Godwin or Tee Higgins in free agency this spring, or trade up in the NFL Draft for a top-end receiver. Any wideout addition would likely ding Pickens’ target domination in the run-first Steelers offense.

Pickens, always an emotional player, was downright malignant in the Steelers organization in 2024, showing up late to games, screaming at fans, and getting flagged for baffling personal foul penalties. His behavior turned harmful to the team when Pittsburgh quarterbacks weren’t peppering him with targets. Pickens often looked disinterested, even if the Steelers were winning or in a tight game. Following a Pickens sideline meltdown against the Bengals in Week 13, head coach Mike Tomlin said the wideout needed to “grow up.” “The organization needs to learn its lesson and realize if it’s ever going to win a playoff game again, it needs players who at least show up to work on time,” DeFabo said, adding that the Steelers should part ways with Pickens and sign one of free agency’s top receivers. With players like Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, Marquise Brown, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins, and Stefon Diggs available this offseason, it’s a viable path for the middling Steelers.

Pickens entered the league as a deep-ball specialist and went for 801 yards as a rookie. He rounded out his game in 2023 and totaled 1,140 yards through the air. Looking for a true breakout season in 2024, Pickens found nothing of the sort while catching passes from Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. He averaged fewer yards per catch and per target en route to 900 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 59 grabs. A hamstring injury cost Pickens three games late in the year, suppressing his already-quiet counting stats. Beyond the numbers, Pickens piled up mental errors in his third season. Per Pro Football Focus, he committed nine drops, the seventh-most in the NFL. He also appeared to give up on plays when he wasn’t a priority target in the read progression late in the season. His talent is undeniable, but Pickens’ ability and desire to win on a down-to-down basis are questionable at best. Pickens enters a contract year in desperate need of a rebound campaign.

Of those five incompletions thrown Pickens’ way, three of them were flat-out drops. It’s a disastrous end to the season for the talented third-year wideout, and he doesn’t appear to be terribly happy about a variety of things happening right now. Pickens’ talent competes with most, but the volatility is scary. Anything could happen in the Wild Card round against the Ravens or Texans. Literally anything.

It looked like it might be a big game for Pickens in his return from his hamstring injury, as he hauled in an early 41-yard reception to put the Steelers into the red zone. He was not a factor from that point on, as there was more head-shaking from Pickens on the sideline than receptions. Pickens offers a great deal of volatility, and that will remain the case for Week 18 against the Bengals.

Pickens will return after missing Weeks 14-16 with a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh’s best receiver, Pickens profiles as a borderline WR2 this week and could wind up with a small boost if the Steelers rest Chris Jones (calf). He practiced in full each of the final two days of the week.

Pickens is on track to return in Week 17 against the Chiefs after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury. Pickens attempted to suit up for last week’s game against the Ravens but was ruled out before the weekend. Now, with one practice left to go before Wednesday’s game against the Chiefs, Pickens has been upgraded to a full participant and should be good to go, barring any setbacks. When asked about his potential return, Pickens said, “I feel good, but I don’t make the decision. It is the coaches and doctors. Whatever they tell me to do, I’m doing.” It’s safe to say that on Monday, those coaches and doctors decided Pickens was well enough to be a full participant in practice, which is a good sign for the Steelers and his fantasy managers. Pickens will profile as a fringe WR2/WR3 against a stout Chiefs defense if active.

Wednesday’s Christmas day games make for an interesting week of practice reports. Less than 24 hours after missing Week 16’s game against the Ravens with a hamstring injury, Pickens was listed as limited on Sunday’s estimated report, which is a good early outlook for his Week 17 availability against the Chiefs. Pickens has missed the Steelers’ last three games with this injury, and would provide an immediate boost to the Steelers’ passing game if he can suit up on Wednesday.

It’ll go down as the third consecutive missed game for the team’s alpha wide receiver as Pickens continues to tend to an injured hamstring. Justin Fields joins him as inactive, meaning Kyle Allen is expected to serve as the top backup behind Russell Wilson. Also inactive for the Steelers are S Deshon Elliott, CB Donte Jackson, and DT Larry Ogunjobi.

Pickens was considered a long shot to practice after being a DNP in Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices. The Steelers’ WR1 will miss his third-straight game with a hamstring he suffered in practice just days before Week 14’s game against the Browns, which has dealt a blow to the Steelers’ passing game. Russell Wilson will have to find a way to make due with Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson, and Calvin Austin as his top receivers against the Ravens in a game that will go a long way in deciding the winner of the AFC North.