George Pickens recent frustrations are clear. He doesn't receive enough targets despite being one of the premiere weapons on this Steelers offense. And when he does get those targets, the throws are often off-line. Much of that is on the scheme Matt Canada cooks up on a weekly basis, but some also falls on Kenny Pickett, who has yet to round into the top-32 talent Pittsburgh thought him to be when they selected him in 2022.
Nonetheless, these things take time. Canada is likely gone after the season. Pickett has a bit of a buffer thanks to his embattled offensive coordinator. Pickens isn't a fan of waiting.
Steelers: George Pickens makes his frustration known, but backtracks
After a second straight game as an outlier, Pickens removed all of his Steelers-related photos on social media. He also posted an instagram story which stated "free me" that has since been removed. As FanSided's John Buhler wrote, this is a theme with wide receivers in Pittsburgh of late:
"I don't know why this keeps happening, but there always seems to be trouble in wide receiver paradise. Historically, nobody does a better job of drafting wide receivers than Pittsburgh. This dates back to the days of John Stallworth and Lynn Swann being dynamic catching passes from Terry Bradshaw in the 1970s. But now, Pickens is the latest Steelers wideout trying to force his way out."
As of last week, Pickens looked more of the Antonio Brown/Mike Wallace/Chase Claypool mold -- unbelievably talented, but troubled. Since then, Pickens has thankfully backtracked some, reposting some old Steelers photos and aligning with the organization virtually.
No, it's not a perfect system. Pickens often lashes out on the sidelines and even to the media when he's unhappy, but most star wideouts can say the same. Look no further than Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs.
If Pickens can develop into that kind of talent, all the while keeping the team's success in perspective, Pittsburgh should be just fine.
