I was super-shocked when I researched the 2023 state line for Steelers second-year receiver George Pickens and discovered that he has 52 receptions for 814 yards.

Pickens is on pace to catch 63 passes for 988 yards. I did not think he was anywhere near 1,000 yards on the season. That is amazing.

Imagine how good Pickens would be doing if he was allowed to be the focal point of the Steelers offense. He really should be the focal point. You know that, right? Pickens certainly knows that. National types talk about it all the time when the struggles of Pittsburgh’s offense are broached. Why aren’t they getting the ball to Pickens more?

I’d be frustrated, too, if I were Pickens. I might sulk a little on the sideline. Heck, I did sulk when I played flag football and was rarely targeted, but I wasn’t Pickens; no, I was just a middle-aged idiot with an ego that was bigger than it should have been, given my physical abilities.

On the other hand, Pickens is a young guy with talent coming out of every fiber of his being. Some have said he’s a young idiot for how he comports himself on the field and in the locker room. Weeks ago, in a game against the Titans on Thursday Night Football, he pouted on the sideline after Diontae Johnson’s first touchdown reception since 2021. While talking to the media in the days leading up to the Colts game, Pickens said that it was hard for him to be productive when he was only allowed to run three and five-yard routes.

Duh!

Haven’t we been saying the same thing about the Steelers passing attack since 2020? We have been. We’ve bemoaned the fact that Pittsburgh rarely stretches the field or challenges opposing defenses. Mike Mayock, a former general manager and current football analyst, said last week in a radio interview on 93.7 The Fan that defending Pittsburgh’s offense is basically like defending the red zone for the entire length of the field. In other words, defensive backs can sit on short routes all day long because the Steelers never make them pay for it.

Is it any wonder that a young, talented receiver like Pickens would get frustrated to the point where he starts to run lazy routes or half-asses it while blocking a defensive back, like he did during the Jaylen Warren run near the goal line early in Saturday’s game?

Yes, it was a bad move for Pickens to barely move on that play, but what does that say about the depth of his frustrations? We’re talking about a receiver who has gone on record as saying he loves to physically embarrass defensive backs when he blocks them. There are entire highlight reels of Pickens doing just that.

Pickens needs to grow up a little and become a better receiver and a better teammate. He needs to block when he’s called upon to do so, and he needs to run his routes as crisply as possible, whether he’s the primary target or not.

Having said that, I don’t want to get rid of Pickens already. I think he’s the most talented player on Pittsburgh’s offense. I believe he has the potential to be a top-three receiver in the NFL. Why would you get rid of a player like that after only two seasons? How many receivers are the Steelers going to go through before they find the perfect one?

Instead of trading Pickens for yet another unknown draft pick, the Steelers need to find a way to develop and flesh out his considerable talents. They need to find a way to make the offense flow through him. They need to coach him up, not sit him down.

I can understand Pickens and his maturity issues at this point. He’s a Cadillac, and the Steelers are trying to use him as a John Deer tractor.

That’s just stupid. As frustrated as you are with the Steelers’ offense, imagine how frustrated George Pickens is right now. Unlike you, he knows he can do something about it if they just let him.

Throw him the damn ball.