George Pickens was in the limelight of media attention after the Steelers‘ Sunday game against the Cowboys. It was because of three reasons – one: earlier this offseason, the wide receiver was speculated to be traded to an AFC powerhouse; two: after the game, Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis called Pickens “weak” and said the team needed a better receiver; and three: the limited number of snaps (34) Pickens played in the game.

Now, let’s talk about these points a little. In the offseason, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini speculated that the Steelers could possibly ship George Pickens to the Chiefs. And now that they’re in the midst of negotiations to land the Raiders’ WR Davante Adams, the rumors about GP grew. Especially when, in the Sunday Night Football game, he played the fewest snaps among his fellow WRs. Ironically, Pickens walked onto the field with eye black that read, “Always F***ing Open.”

While that may have indicated that the WR isn’t happy with the number of targets he’s getting, coach Mike Tomlin claimed that it is a part of the strategy, that “it’s just about snap management, and there’s no underlying story.” However, he couldn’t have been thrilled about the fact that Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III out-snapped him by playing 47 and 44 out of the 58 possible snaps, respectively, when Pickens is the supposed #1 receiver. That frustration was evident toward the end of the 20-17 loss when Pickens grabbed Jourdan Lewis by the facemask and slung him to the ground.

That led to the Cowboys cornerback saying, “Pittsburgh need a receiver. George Pickens weak.” Because of all this drama surrounding George Pickens, there are speculations that something isn’t right in the locker room. And this was also evident in quarterback Justin Field’s comment in the post-game presser. When a curious reporter asked, “Why was it difficult to get George Pickens involved in the offense,” the quarterback expressed, “Trevon [Diggs] traveled with GP a little bit. He’s a good corner.”

Fields may have subtly suggested that his wide receiver just wasn’t up to the mark against the Cowboys, not making runs that were good enough to get open. However, the quarterback quickly added, “But, you know, GP is also a good receiver. So, he just didn’t get involved as he usually does today.” Apart from playing a career-low 34 offensive snaps (59% of the team’s total), he caught just 3-of-7 targets for 26 yards – a season-low in receiving yards. That said, Justin Fields wasn’t the only one to take a subtle jab at GP.

Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth seemingly talked about George Pickens and his eye black after the game. He told the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, “I trust the coaching staff and what they’re doing. Everyone can complain about a lack of targets, but it’s the stuff you do without the ball. That’s what leaders do. That’s what good teammates do.” The “stuff you do without the ball” comments? Well, that was likely about Pickens’ rather lethargic display during the game.

The wide receiver seemed like he was jogging his routes, with there being nothing explosive about his movements. But it could’ve also come down to the fact that Justin Fields looked lost in trying to get the ball to Pickens. Whether it was this or that he knew he wasn’t going to get the ball, we can’t be certain. But this non-explosive movement on the field isn’t anything new for the 23-year-old.

Last December, when a video of the Steelers’ practice session surfaced, George Pickens seemed to be jogging during drills, too. While everyone around him was giving it their all, he didn’t show the same amount of vigor. According to Rich Eisen, his teammate TJ Watt said, “It was wild that some of them don’t want to practice… or want to practice in a way that everyone is supposed to practice.”

Considering all this, does it mean the Steelers are slowly losing confidence in their star WR, George Pickens?

What do the Steelers think about George Pickens?

In the Week 1 game, Justin Fields was able to find George Pickens for some great plays that eventually helped the team get a win. Now, this factor itself tells how important Pickens is for the Steelers. Talking about the faith he has in Pickens, QB Justin Fields said, “Of course I’m encouraged… I’ll take GP versus anybody, to be honest with you. He’s that good a receiver and that good of a player.”

Seeing as Pickens has more often than not been Fields go-to person on the field, he added, “Of course there’s going to be times where they might double team and stuff like that. And that’s the time where guys like Pat [Freiermuth], Calvin [Austin III], Van [Jefferson] and others to step up in that position. But I think George is going to get the ball a good amount each and every week.” The QB may have said this after the win over the Falcons, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday.

But if you think about it, his comments did hint at the possibility of Pickens getting fewer targets over the course of the season. That could be why, after the SNF game, in the press conference, coach Mike Tomlin mentioned, “We just wanted to kind of minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity. We’re just trying to manage in terms of the totality of the big picture.” Additionally, it was a move to ensure that when Pickens was on the field, his performance would be at a higher level.

Because, as per Tomlin, the goal was to manage George Pickens’ workload for the long-term benefit of the team and get the most out of each play. Do you think this is the right strategy for the Steelers going forward?

Before you go, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on the current NFL season, college football, NIL, and much more.