Steelers' George Pickens Is Confident In Himself And Rest Of Receiver Room; Says They Don't Need More Help

Pittsburgh Steelers football is officially back, as the team's 2024 training camp is just getting kicked off. Tons of fans from Steeler Nation head to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to watch the Steelers prepare for a crucial season. A big hit in the highlight reels from previous training camps is wideout George Pickens, who is entering his third season. Pickens has a ton of eyes on him this offseason with him being promoted to wide receiver one after Diontae Johnson was traded away. 

Wide receiver was, and still is, one of the biggest topics of discussion surrounding the Steelers this offseason. There have been major concerns about the Steelers and their depth at wideout behind Pickens. Since before the draft in April, the idea of whether or not Pittsburgh will trade for another receiver has been a hot debate. However, after Friday's practice during an interview with Bryan DeArdo and CBS Sports, Pickens was asked if he and his teammates needed more help at their position. 

"Nah, I think we're good enough," said Pickens.

Pickens and the rest of the pass catchers have seemingly started off hot at camp. Van Jefferson was seen catching a deep touchdown pass from Justin  Fields, who has been taking the team's first reps with Russell Wilson sidelined momentarily. Roman Wilson, the Steelers' third round draft pick out of Michigan this year, also looked great, particularly during Friday's session. Then there's Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh's young speedster that everyone has their eyes on. Austin's making a strong case for himself this offseason, with the glamorous things Wilson has said regarding him. 

Austin addressed the chatter he's been hearing all offseason about him and the Steelers' receivers. 

"We hear the talk and stuff. As players and competitors, we don't need any more motivation," Austin said with CBS Sports. "But that extra stuff is a little, you know, we're competitors at the end of the day. So it's like, 'Okay, doubt me. Cool, we'll see.'"

Between Pickens, Jefferson, Wilson, and Austin, the Steelers have some value in each of these guys. Steelers General Manger Omar Khan addressed the idea of a trade for a receiver this week, and revealed that they have nothing on their agenda. Brandon Aiyuk, though still seemingly unhappy, reported to the San Francisco 49ers training camp ready to go. Courtland Sutton just restructured his contract with the Denver Broncos, so nothing indicates Pittsburgh is making a move at the moment. 

Though the wideouts have seemed strong so far, the guy whose been getting some of the most targets is actually their tight end. Pat Freiermuth, who just may become Arthur Smith's greatest weapon, plans to have a huge role in Pittsburgh's new offense. Smith and his previous offenses focused on using multiple tight end personnel, which has already been implicated into the Steelers offense at camp. Freiermuth, going into his fourth season, is on the final year of his contract and is working to earn an extension. 

Steelers' Justin Fields Connecting With George Pickens Deep At Camp

All eyes are on the quarterbacks to see who is worthy of being the starter Week 1. Wilson sat out Thursday and Friday's practices due to a minor calf injury, leaving Fields under center with the starters. While it's been reported that Fields has still remained inconsistent at times, he was able to connect with Pickens deep on a big play at practice on Friday. Pickens told DeArdo and the writers of CBS Sports what it feels like to be back making plays in front of the fans.

"It's always good to score. I'd probably say it felt good for the team. It's good team camaraderie, getting the team lit. Making plays is always fun."

Pickens is going to have make a lot of those plays this season in order for the Steelers' passing attack to be effective.