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During his brief time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, George Pickens has dealt with a variety of quarterback changes and appears to believe he will experience another one. Amid Russell Wilson's recovery from injury, the wideout heavily indicated that he would start under center in Week 7.
In a locker room interview ahead of Week 7, Pickens said that he has been dedicating extra time to work privately with Wilson to build rapport. Even though head coach Mike Tomlin has not officially declared a starter for the week, the third-year receiver said that Wilson would be making his “first start.”
“Yeah, [we've been] getting on the same page after practice more than usual 'cause, you know, this is his first start,” Pickens told Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
Pickens gave his quote with a nonchalant attitude, not indicating if he purposely revealed information or just gave his honest belief.
Wilson has yet to play a snap in 2024 and has missed the first six games with a calf injury. He signed with the Steelers in the offseason under the guise of being their starting quarterback but has watched from the sideline as Justin Fields led the team to a 4-2 start, thus sparking controversy.
Steelers deal with quarterback debate entering Week 7
After a shockingly strong start to the year, the Steelers enter Week 7 at 4-2 and are forced to consider keeping Fields in play over the returning Wilson. While neither player is an elite quarterback in 2024, Fields is off to the best start to a season in his four-year career.
While his record is impressive, fans and critics have pointed to Fields' lack of production in the passing game as a reason to insert Wilson. Fields has topped 200 passing yards in just two games on the year and has failed to reach 150 on three separate occasions. However, he has kept his turnovers down with just one interception while adding considerable output on the ground.
Despite no longer being in his physical prime, Wilson is a better passer than Fields on paper, potentially playing a factor in Pickens leading his campaign. Pickens leads the team in receiving yards but has just 26 catches for 363 yards in the young season.
Pittsburgh is tasked with a prime-time Sunday Night Football home game in Week 7 when they host the New York Jets. The game will feature two of the best defenses so far on the year, heavily indicating a low-scoring affair regardless of who starts the game at quarterback for the Steelers.
