Insider Sends Steelers George Pickens Warning

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be wise to allow wide receiver George Pickens all the time he needs to fully recover from his injury.

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) runs after a catch against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Dallas won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers, despite dropping consecutive games by multiple scores to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, can hang their hat on the fact that they're set to return multiple key players from injuries in the immediate future.

While the team could understandably be eager to welcome them back in the middle of a tight AFC North race, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly cautioned them against making a short-term decision that ignores any potential long-term repercussions.

"I'd much rather see them go on the road in the first round of the playoffs and be 100% healthy across the board rather than be at home and still dealing with some injuries," Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan.

He added that, in his opinion, the Kansas City Chiefs may come into their Week 17 meeting with Pittsburgh less engaged than normal given the fact that they have the No. 1 seed all but locked up at 14-1.

Furthermore, Kaboly stated that the Cincinnati Bengals (7-8) are in danger of being eliminated from playoff contention by the time their Week 18 game against the Steelers rolls around and could theoretically rest some of their key players with such low stakes.

All of that is to say that he believes Pittsburgh could keep pace with Baltimore by holding out its players who are battling injuries based on where its final two opponents of the regular season stand currently.

In particular, Kaboly doesn't believe it would make much sense for the Steelers to send wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) out on the field on Wednesday against the Chiefs if he won't garner his typical workload.

"I think he will [play], but I don't want to see him out there if he's on a pitch count," Kaboly said. "If he's out there for 15 plays, at that point, just hold him out. I'm sure if he does come back, he will be on some sort of a count ... Everything I've seen from him the past week or so, it looked like he was ready to go last week, just some of the movements he was making."

Pittsburgh's passing offense has endured significant struggles amidst Pickens' absence over the past three weeks, as Russell Wilson's thrown for just 503 yards during that stretch.

While the star receiver appeared to take a step forward in his recovery last week, as Kaboly mentioned, it may not be smart to risk him reaggravating his injury when he's not completely ready to return.

Winning the division and earning a home playoff game at Acrisure Stadium is the desired result for the Steelers, but perhaps the more logical course of action is granting their injured players such as Pickens all the time they need to recover before embarking on a postseason run at full strength.

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