Sure sounds like Mike Tomlin is holding out George Pickens to prove a point

Mike Tomlin seems to be teaching George Pickens another lesson. The Pittsburgh Steelers are within arms reach of the division and a playoff bid this year and will be without their top receiver a little bit longer than they anticipated. 

But Tomlin did say, according to Ian Rapoport’s X platform account, formerly known as Twitter, that he theoretically could play against Philadelphia this week, but is listed as doubtful. Is he keeping him out as a precaution or is he trying to prove a point?

The Steelers have a receiver committee that could pick up the production that Pickens could provide. But amid a playoff push, is this Tomlin being cautious or something more? Against the Cleveland Browns, Mike Williams, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin and Scotty Miller all got catches. 

That could be the Steelers’ recipe moving forward as they are going week-to-week, evaluating Pickens’ availability. 

Mike Tomlin holding out George Pickens could mean more than just the hamstring injury he has

Pickens has had his issues this season that include unnecessary penalties, tantrums and allowing opposing players to get in his head. While Tomlin said he could play this week, is Tomlin keeping him out for health reasons or trying to show him how quickly he can be replaced in the line up?

The Steelers did acquire Williams at the trade deadline. And we have yet to see Williams fully acclimated into the lineup. Tomlin might want to see what he truly has in the rest of the line up and that’s why he’s being overly cautious with Pickens. 

They showed Sunday, they can win without him. And it helped that he wasn't available for extra personal foul penalties in the game too. Pat Freiermuth will move to Russell Wilson’s top target in Pickens’ absence. 

But the next option is up for grabs. Austin has shown he can be a deep play threat as well as a quick player that can make big plays. Williams made an immediate impact after he was traded from the New York Jets, getting a game-winning touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders. 

Tomlin said in an article on Pro Football Talk that his team has been criticized for not having a true No. 2 option. Keeping Pickens out could prove that and show Pickens isn’t the entire offense. 

And if Tomlin continues winning without Pickens, it would be the best way to shut up anyone criticizing their scheme. After all, he was criticized for prematurely switching to Russell Wilson and we saw how that turned out.