At the end of another ho-hum training camp practice during which he wowed fans at Saint Vincent College for the final time in 2024, George Pickens acknowledged the Pittsburgh Steelers are in pursuit of a high-profile running mate to line up across from him at wide receiver.
And while the idea of adding Brandon Aiyuk is intriguing to Pickens, it doesn’t seem to get him as palpably excited as the plays he believes he can make in this year’s offense under new coordinator Arthur Smith.
“The scheme of it is great,” Pickens said Wednesday before the Steelers broke camp at Saint Vincent. “A lot of schemed deep balls. Last year, I was running only (“go” routes), so I was running deep balls last year, too. But scheme-wise, I feel like this is a way better scheme vertically.”
Deep balls to Pickens were a regular scene over the past three weeks in Unity Township, thrown both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. The NFL leader in yards per catch last season, Pickens stands to benefit most from the deep-ball prowess of Wilson.
A former coordinator with the Tennessee Titans when they had 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry, Smith has a reputation for being a run-first play-caller who values size and physicality. That’s not necessarily untrue. Smith, for example, tends to rely on multiple tight ends frequently.
But what gets lost in Smith’s résumé with the Titans is that wide receiver A.J. Brown had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons and 19 touchdowns over his first 30 NFL games with Smith as his coordinator. Brown averaged 17.4 yards per catch in 2019-20, and no player in the league had as many catches of 40-plus yards in that span (13).
“The scheme is, for sure, prolific vertically,” Pickens said
Wilson on Wednesday noted the “connection” he already has established with Pickens, one that has shown itself over the past week when Wilson has been taking the majority of the first-team reps after recovering from a calf injury.
“You saw (at Wednesday’s practice) there were a lot of plays down the field where guys are making big time plays,” Wilson said. “Intermediate and short game (also). There is so much our receivers can do, and we’re really excited about who they are.”
Upcoming Local Events
Of course, many fans believe the Steelers should and will add to their receivers corps. Daily drama surrounding Aiyuk’s contract stalemate in San Francisco compels seemingly daily media reports about the Steelers’ prospects for acquiring him.
As the player who finished second in the NFL in 2023 to Pickens in yards per reception, Aiyuk also would seem to thrive in Smith’s scheme. In theory, he would siphon double-teams away from Pickens and allow the latter more freedom to make big plays.
Pickens, though, insists he doesn’t spend too much time pondering a potential Aiyuk acquisition.
“No, not really much,” he said. “I am just here with these guys (teammates), being in Latrobe, chilling. … I kind of lock in only on the Steelers. I hear about it (Aiyuk rumors), but I don’t really indulge in it.”
Pickens said he has not met Aiyuk, who is under contract for 2024 under the terms of a fifth-year option San Francisco exercised for $14.124 million. Aiyuk has made it clear he wants a renegotiation and extension, and has made subtle public overtures to the Steelers.
What are Pickens’ thoughts on adding a receiver of that caliber to the roster?
“Whatever his situation is, it’s a different situation,” Pickens said. “I guess that would be up to him, to be honest. I am just here with the guys today.”
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.