Steelers' Mike Tomlin Addresses George Pickens Drama: 'It Is a Pebble in My Shoe'

It appears the drama involving Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is a non-issue for head coach Mike Tomlin.

Tomlin said Tuesday when asked about coaching young players, including Pickens, through adversity, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra:

"Like breathing, it's easy. I know it's a cute story for you guys, but it is a pebble in my shoe, to be quite honest with you, in terms of the things that I have to do in an effort to get this group ready to play this week. Our focus is on the Green Bay Packers and what we're all going to do in this football game, and I can't state it any plainer than that. It's like reality television, the way you guys follow social media and write stories about it."

Pickens drew plenty of attention this weekend when he posted "free me" to his Instagram story and scrubbed all references to the Steelers from his page.

The 22-year-old's actions came after he had just two catches for minus-one yard in a 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday. He also missed a touchdown in that matchup after failing to get his second foot down in the end zone.

Pickens, who was selected in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia, has caught 30 passes for 521 yards and three touchdowns in eight games this season. He has three games with 100-plus receiving yards, but he has also been limited to 36 or fewer receiving yards in four contests.

While the Steelers are 5-3 and second in the AFC North, it's clear Pickens is becoming frustrated with his lack of usage.

Tomlin told reporters that the wideout's frustration stems from his desire to help the team win.

"Heck yeah, man. He expresses frustration all the time," he said. "He wants to be significant. He wants to be a reason why we are successful. Man, ya'll don't begrudge that. I want guys that want the football. I want guys who want to be central reasons of why we are successful. So, that's a non-issue, to be quite honest with you."

Pickens leads the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, though that's not necessarily saying much as the Steelers have struggled on offense all season and rank 29th in the NFL in scoring—16.6 points per game.

The Steelers are prepping for a matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, which could be a big one for Pickens given the drama surrounding him.