Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers trade of George Pickens was an addition by subtraction. Along with not having to give him a big payday, the Steelers won’t have to worry about dealing with his antics anymore. However, the Steelers now have a massive hole at the No. 2 wide receiver position. They are in the same spot that they were last year.
For this reason, former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden thinks Pittsburgh were the losers in the trade with Dallas.
“The Steelers are my loser, and here’s why. This was an offense, if you followed the Steelers offense in 2024, where George Pickens was the only legit playmaker in the passing game,” McFadden said on CBS Sports HQ. “The issue a year ago, it didn’t have a number two to help George Pickens…. well, you decided to move the next-best playmaker today in George Pickens. The wide receiver room is still a room of concerns.”
In the trade package, the Steelers get the Cowboys third-round pick in 2026 and fifth-round pick in 2027, and send their 2026 sixth-rounder along with Pickens.
On paper, it’s hard to argue that the Cowboys don’t benefit more with the trade, especially immediately. A Pickens duo with CeeDee Lamb could be quite lethal.
With George Pickens off to Dallas, the Steelers are counting on second-year wide receiver Roman Wilson to make a Year 2 jump, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Fowler notes that Wilson looks like a different player this offseason, compared from his injury riddled rookie campaign.
Along with Wilson, the Steelers’ wide receivers room includes DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Robert Woods, Ben Skowronek, Scotty Miller, Lance McCutcheon, Brandon Johnson, Ke’Shawn Williams and Roc Taylor. To say the least, the Steelers’ current crop of wide receivers leaves a lot to be desired.
The Steelers could bolster the WR corps via a free agent signing or trade, but Wilson definitely needs to live up to his third-round pedigree regardless.
Two days before the NFL,Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he was working on “pretty substantive trades” that could happen “before or after the draft.” Obviously, Pickens was one of the substantive trades he was alluding to.
In previous trade conversations surrounding Pickens, the Cowboys offered a fourth-round pick, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. A deal was sealed after Jones and co. increased their offer.
Pickens was productive for the Steelers, recording 174 catches for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first three years of his NFL career. Talent is not the issue with Pickens. His emotional outbursts and unpredictable behavior were a major thorn in the Steelers’ side, however.
In 2023, he was fined over $200,000 between the NFL and the Steelers for on- and off-the-field incidents, including reported serial tardiness to team practices and meetings.
In 2024, Pickens received over $80,000 in fines from the NFL for his on-field behavior, including unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, two fights after the end of a loss, and a profane message on his...
