After trading away wide receiver Diontae Johnson in the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have handed the No. 1 receiver role to George Pickens.
Pickens became the de facto top receiver last season when he led the team in receptions with 63, receiving yards with 1,140 receiving yards and tied with Diontae Johnson with 5 receiving touchdowns. With Johnson off to the Carolina Panthers, Pickens now assumes an even larger leadership role on offense but as Pickens pointed out, he’s going to lead by example and now do a lot of talking.
“I lead by example,” Pickens said during OTAs. “Whatever I’m doing outside on the field I think the guys are gonna follow.”
One of the reasons Johnson was shipped off to Carolina was some issues with effort on the field. But this wasn’t something Pickens was immune to either. We hope that being handed this new role along with improved quarterback play will help Pickens play with more consistent effort and more maturity.
