Tim Benz: No perfect balance yet for targeting George Pickens, but it's improving with Justin Fields

One area in which the Pittsburgh Steelers struggled with Matt Canada as the offensive coordinator and Kenny Pickett or Mitch Trubisky as the quarterback was finding the balance between getting George Pickens the ball frequently without pumping it to him in situations when he was too covered to make a play.

On the positive side, rarely did mistakes in the latter category turn into interceptions. As a team, the Steelers only threw nine picks last year. The Texans (8), Chargers (8) and Ravens (7) were the only offenses with a lower number.

Also, Pickens led the NFL at 18.1 yards per reception.

Yet the 23-year-old was only 33rd in the NFL in targets with 106 — tied with Las Vegas’ Jakobi Meyers (11.4 YPC) and Arizona Tight end Trey McBride (10.2 YPC).

On the surface this year, with Justin Fields at quarterback and Arthur Smith as the coordinator, the Steelers are finding a better balance when it comes to getting Pickens the ball, while still not forcing turnover-worthy passes.

Through the first four weeks of the season, Pickens is up to 21st in the NFL with 29 targets, and Fields has just one interception on the season. The 20 receptions for Pickens are 18th. Keep in mind that Pickens and Fields are operating in an offense that enters Week 5 tied for the league lead in rushing attempts (138), and is tied for 23rd in passing attempts (109).

“It’s more of a feel thing, rather than, ‘All right, I’m going to go to G.P., right here.’ You see specific coverages they give you in the back end, or a specific matchup you might get with him one-on-one,” Fields said Thursday. “That’sthe time you want to take your chances and throw a shot up to him or get an individualized route.”

More sports

• First Call: Najee Harris responds as Zaire Franklin doubles-down on criticism; Steelers-Cowboys primetime history
• Football Footnotes: Joey Porter Jr. on coverage plan for CeeDee Lamb; Dallas' scheme to pressure Justin Fields
• Russell Wilson ramps up at Steelers practice; Justin Fields focused on Cowboys, not QB1 status

There is still room for growth. After all, there aren’t many other options at wide receiver for Fields. The other three wide receivers who have been dressing for the Steelers — Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and Calvin Austin — have combined for just 14 receptions. That’s not a surprise given the concerns about who would replace Dionate Johnson as the second receiver in the Steelers’ offense. So Pickens should be getting the lion’s share of the targets.

Also, given the frequency with which Pickens is getting open, passes ought to find him. ESPN Analytics rates Pickens fifth in the NFL when it comes to getting open, and is 12th overall in receiver metrics.

As a result, maybe he should be getting the ball even more — especially in areas where he could do damage with run-after-the-catch yards. His 40 yards after the catch is a disappointing 130th among all pass catchers in the NFL.

“Usuallythere’s a natural evolution (with) who your high-target guys are. (Opposing defenses) know that. Especially situational football — third down, two-minute, red zone. If they double somebody or the route is not clean, then move on. There is a fine line,” Smith said Thursday. “Sometimes you see guys hold the ball too long waiting for a guy to come open, and it might not be the look you want. I think each week (Fields has) gotten better at that.”

Last week against the Colts, Pickens had season highs in receptions (7), targets (11) and yards (113).

Fields finds Pickens for 38 yards!

��: #PITvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
��: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqGpic.twitter.com/TMBYRcSlNq

— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024

“We were just seeing the coverage, attacking man-on-man on third down,” Pickens said this week. “When you see certain matchups, you try to take advantage of it.”

In theory, there should be an opportunity to take advantage of Dallas’ defense on Sunday night. The Cowboys come into Acrisure Stadium ranked 25th in the league at 353 yards allowed per game. Their 26 points per game allowed is tied for 27th in the league with the Cincinnati Bengals.

At 209.5 yards allowed per contest through the air, Dallas isn’t terrible.That’s 19th in the NFL. However, DeMarcus Lawrence, who leads the team with three sacks, was placed on injured reserve this week due to a foot injury. Also, Pro Bowl linebacker Micah Parsons is unlikely to play because of a bad ankle. So the Cowboys’ pass rush could be extremely compromised.

Many times in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, what sounds good in theory doesn’t always come to fruition. Consistently maximizing Pickens’ talents has been part of that frustration.

So far in 2024, though, Fields and Smith seem to be on the right path toward improving those results.