Coming off a season-best game in Week 4, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was hoping to build off that in a Week 5 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.
However, things haven't panned out that way. In fact, it has been quite the opposite for the 2022 second-round pick, who has been very quiet through three quarters.
Pickens has recorded just one catch for eight yards, which came in the first quarter. In all, the Georgia product has just three targets in all. But that isn't the only troubling stat for the Steelers' No. 1 wide receiver.
According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Pickens has run just 12 routes thus far, which is fewer than Van Jefferson (18) and Calvin Austin (16). Adding to that, he has only played 21 offensive snaps, fewer than Jefferson (32) and Austin (29), also.
George Pickens stats for Week 5
| Receptions | 1 |
| Targets | 3 |
| Receiving Yards | 8 |
That kind of usage is absolutely baffling. The Steelers are short on reliable wide receiver options as it is, so it's hard to understand how he hasn't been on the field and running routes more often.
Pickens sent a not-so-subtle message in his eye black on Sunday night, writing "Open F------ Always."
Some took that as him voicing his displeasure with a lack of targets. Pickens entered the game with 29 on the season, nine more than any other Steelers pass-catcher.
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