The Pittsburgh Steelers have played two games without George Pickens—one went better than the other. Against a garbage Cleveland Browns team, they did enough to win, even efficiently at times. However, they looked lost and listless, facing an actual quality opponent, posting an embarrassingly low yardage total.
This has been building for most of the year since the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson. GM Omar Khan knew then that they had no adequate replacement to start next to George Pickens. They spent the next half-year exploring a variety of high-profile options, coming up virtually empty. All they managed was Mike Williams at the trade deadline, who doesn’t look like he was worth the investment.