Steelers Now
If you’re a diehard football fan, you’re probably really locked into all of the primetime matchups, which means you’ve been subjected to a ton of Dallas Cowboys games this season. As a result, these island games have sparked a lot of social media discussions and debates around former Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Did Pittsburgh make a mistake by moving on so quickly? Understandably, fans have a lot of questions surrounding his exit, but the answers require some very necessary context.
First, let’s take a look at Pickens’ season thus far. The Georgia product ranks 1st in total receiving EPA generated, second in receiving yards, and is tied for third in touchdowns through the first 11 weeks. Regardless of whether CeeDee Lamb has been in the lineup or not, he’s produced at an elite level. If the season were to end today, he would most likely end up on one of the All-Pro teams.
The fourth-year pro is going to be a hot commodity this spring, as he will be entering free agency at just 25 years old. Perhaps the most likely outcome is that he’s franchise tagged by Jerry Jones and company to prevent a departure, keeping him in Texas for at least the short term. Bottom line, the Cowboys took a risk trading for him, and it’s definitely paid off for them.
The top-10 wide receivers in the NFL in total EPA generated this season. pic.twitter.com/zxO7xfAVRw
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) November 18, 2025
With the former second-round selection enjoying a breakout season elsewhere, it’s left many fans wondering why this couldn’t have happened in Pittsburgh. Without trying to undermine his tremendous talent, there are multiple reasons why he wasn’t going to produce at this level with the Steelers. For starters, Dallas has Dak Prescott, who is by far the best signal caller that Pickens has ever played with and a notable upgrade over Aaron Rodgers at this stage of his career. Prescott is a daring passer that will throw into tight windows and loves to throw the routes that Pickens excels at (go/slant/hitch). On the surface, it was a match made in heaven, and their chemistry seems to be improving by the rep.
In studying Pickens’ film, you’ll notice that Dallas trusts him to run the entire route tree, catching all 12 of his targets over the middle for a whopping 269 yards and two touchdowns this season. The truth is that he was always capable of doing those things, but because of the Steelers’ scheme and propensity to gravitate towards passers that avoid the middle of the field like the plague, that skill set was not going to be unlocked in Pittsburgh.
Not this year, at least. Rodgers is throwing to the intermediate area of the field on 12.8% of his dropbacks this season, the second-lowest rate in the NFL. He’s also only throwing deep on only 10.4% of his attempts. Pittsburgh’s entire ecosystem has serious limitations that would have prevented him from being maximized....
