Steelers' Mike Tomlin Addressed George Pickens' Behavior vs. Cowboys, Defends Effort

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin says he isn't concerned about George Pickens' effort after the wideout played a career-low 34 of 58 snaps in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

"I didn't have any outlying issue with his effort," Tomlin said on Tuesday, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "As I mentioned after the game ... that's just a snap management thing and an effort to be more productive in today's game regarding analytics, we do it across a lot of positions, particularly when you look at the totality of a 17-game schedule.

"I'd imagine Cam Heyward, for example, is playing less snaps than he has just trying to grow and trying to get optimum productivity among some individuals and going about the best means of doing so, and so that's probably a reflection of the snap totality of last week."

Tomlin also told reporters he would address in private Pickens' on-field altercation with Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis.

"It's certainly things that I'm open to addressing and will and do," Tomlin said. "I just don't detail, and in settings like this because it's business between he and I in terms of his growth and development as a player and as a man. I just don't think it aids that growth and the development to address it in open settings such as this regarding his behavior.

"I am aware of that and obviously that has been and will continue to be addressed."

Pickens made three catches on seven targets for a season-low 26 receiving yards in the Week 5 loss.

Lewis appeared to run by and taunt the 23-year-old as time on the clock expired, at which point Pickens seemed to reach out and pull Lewis down by his facemask.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported following the 2023 season that Pickens reportedly received more than $200,000 in combined fines from the NFL and Steelers, including more than $33,000 in publicly available unnecessary roughness and unnecessary conduct fines.

Pickens could be set for another financial penalty if the NFL decides to step in regarding the scuffle with Lewis. He could also face a separate fine for wearing a sticker with the words "open f--king always" on his eye black ahead of the game.

Despite his limited play on Sunday, Pickens still leads the Steelers with 36 targets through five games. Tight end Pat Freiermuth ranks behind him with 23 targets, while the second most-targeted wideout is offseason acquisition Van Jefferson with 13.

That could change if the Steelers continue limiting Pickens and turning to other options like Jefferson and Calvin Austin going forward.

Tomlin told reporters after the loss to the Cowboys that limiting Pickens' snaps was part of "an effort to get more productivity" from the team's top wideout, again comparing the decision to hold him out to Heyward's load management.

"We're just trying to rep manage in terms of the totality of the big picture," Tomlin said on Sunday, per Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live. "He wasn't less of a focal point in terms of our intentions of what we wanted to do offensively."

This is not the first time there have been tensions between the Steelers and Pickens' desire for more targets. Pickens seemed to express exasperation with his lack of production during stretches of the 2023 season, which led to Tomlin meeting with the wideout to address his frustration.

Ensuring Pickens remains engaged this season will be crucial to the Steelers' hopes of breaking their current two-game losing skid. While stepping in for him on Sunday, Jefferson and Austin combined for just 32 yards, seemingly proving Pickens remains the team's best option as a No. 1 receiver.