George Pickens expects to see more targets in Steelers’ evolving deep passing game
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George Pickens said it was no coincidence that, on the first play of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kenny Pickett dropped back and threw deep down the sideline.
Or that Pickens was the intended target.
“I just feel like that is an explosive hint,” Pickens said Thursday, “that we’re going to take more shots this year, try to mix it up a little bit.”
The Steelers had about as much eruptions as a dormant volcano in 2022 when they finished No. 26 in points, No. 24 in passing yards and last in passing touchdowns. They scored just twice on plays snapped from outside the red zone, and both were on completions from Pickett to Pickens.
The lack of big scoring plays didn’t go unnoticed by coach Mike Tomlin.
“We want to get yards in chunks,” he said the day the Steelers reported to camp, “but we also want to possess the ball and control the flow of the game, so we’ve got to do all things if we want to be a dominant group. That’s a component of it.
“We weren’t explosive enough a year ago in terms of chunk plays, and so there is a focus there.”
Only eight teams had fewer completions that gained 20-plus yards than the Steelers, who finished with 44. Their three completions spanning 40-plus yards tied for fewest in the NFL.
As far as pass attempts that were in the air for at least 20 yards, Pickett completed 18 of 47 tries, and Mitch Trubisky completed 12 of 31. Pickett ranked No. 17 in such attempts and No. 19 in completion percentage. He threw four touchdowns and five interceptions on those throws while averaging 10.1 yards per attempt, which ranked No. 29.
The expectation is that Pickett, in his first full season as a starter and second in the NFL, will make the necessary improvements that can help the Steelers become more of a big-play offense. And Pickens is ready to do his part to make that happen.
“The same plays are the same plays,” Pickens said. “But as far as where we’re going with the ball, huge change.”
As a rookie, Pickens caught 52 passes for 801 yards (15.4 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. He quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s best big-play receivers, ranking third with 16 receptions that spanned at least 20 yards.
Pickens, though, was targeted 84 times, an average of 4.9 per game. Diontae Johnson received 147 targets, or 8.6 per game.
“I think we’ll be way more balanced than last year,” said Pickens, who has set 1,000 receiving yards and a Pro Bowl selection as personal goals. “Where the ball is going, the type of plays, mixing up the plays, different blocking schemes. I feel this year we’ll be way more balanced.”
Johnson believes the offense can become more prolific by avoiding the slow start that dogged the Steelers a year ago when Trubisky was tasked with replacing the retired Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers scored four touchdowns on offense in 15 quarters before Trubisky was replaced by the rookie first-round draft pick.
“It starts with everybody moving as one, knowing their assignments and communicating,” Johnson said. “Really, that is it. It’s coming out and knowing the game plan and minimizing the little mistakes.”
The Steelers lacked a third play-making wide receiver last season even before Chase Claypool’s midseason trade to Chicago. To address that void, general manager Omar Khan traded for Allen Robinson, who had three 1,000-yard seasons in his first nine in the NFL.
“I think we all have different playing styles, and we’re all different sizes,” said Robinson, who, at 220 pounds, is the thickest receiver in the trio. “We complement each other very well. ‘Tae is super quick, George is a bigger dude who can do a little bit of everything, same as myself. We have different skill sets, but we also have similarities that complement us well.”
Just like the first pass being a deep shot to Pickens wasn’t a coincidence, neither was the Steelers’ decision to pair him with Robinson in the rooming assignments at Saint Vincent.
“I don’t think so,” Robinson said, smiling.
Robinson wishes he had a veteran mentor in his second NFL season even though he had a breakout season in 2015 when he caught 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns for Jacksonville.
“I can definitely relate to that,” he said. “It’s cool seeing a guy who has so much talent. I remember training camp my second year and finding my way as a person who had talent but needed to untap it.”