The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 campaign was somewhat uneventful overall.
They fired their offensive coordinator in the middle of the season due to serious quarterback troubles.
They qualified for the playoffs and won ten games as well.
For another one of their budding stars, it was a mixed bag.
George Pickens made significant progress on the field and into the Pro Bowl discussion.
During the season, he regrettably found himself the subject of inappropriate discourse much too often.
Some NFL executives may not be particularly surprised by those difficulties.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio informed Andrew Filliponi and Chris Mueller that Pickens isn’t well-liked among NFL executives during his visit on 93.7 The Fan.
“I believe they don’t find it surprising what has transpired thus far and they don’t believe Pickens will have a happy ending in Pittsburgh or anywhere else.”
Pickens’ Concerns Regarding the SteelersÂ
There were two factors contributing to Pickens’ decline, which saw him slip to the later part of the 2022 draft’s second round.
He missed the most of his junior year in college due to an ACL injury. It also meant that he only played 24 games during his college career, raising questions about when he would be fully recovered.
Concerns over his maturity were the other. He had received a suspension from college for breaking team rules. He got into a brawl with an opponent and was expelled from the Georgia Tech game. Pickens was also fined once for shooting an opponent with water.
Throughout his NFL career, discipline has remained a problem.
Mike Tomlin openly chastised Pickens for his actions in the first part of December.
A few weeks later, when the Colts defeated him, he was brought up again when he declined to block for Jaylen Warren. Tomlin had to remark on the young receiver once more.
“To further improve the process’ smoothness, I would like him to address some of his flaws with you guys in a more professional manner. By handling you guys in this way, he’s not helping the process and he’s not helping himself. But when it comes to accepting where he is and where he needs to go, the way he handles you guys isn’t always the same as the way he handles us or himself.
In the 2023 season, Pickens also accrued fines totaling over $200,000.
Pickens had a really good season, but it was marred by these issues.
The Benefits
Even though Pickens’ early-career problems have been a distraction, the 2023 season had some significant advantages for him.
First, there’s the caliber of play he shown throughout the season.
In his second season in the NFL, Pickens had a fantastic year despite the team’s quarterback problems.
Pickens caught 63 passes for 1140 yards and five touchdowns in year two. Those featured two pivotal games in weeks sixteen and seventeen.
In three games, Pickens recorded a total of 11 receptions for 326 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers battled to maintain their postseason aspirations.
Late in the season, it seemed like his attitude toward football was improving as well.
Pickens had no targets in Week 18 because of the awful playing circumstances for the squad. Quarterback Mason Rudolph gave him credit for handling his lack of participation in the game after it ended.
The way Pickens finished the regular season was encouraging.
Pickens has only played in two seasons in the NFL, but he still has lots of time to develop, and if he has a strong third season, these problems may be forgotten.
