Steelers' George Pickens has no snap-count concerns: What numbers say about WR's usage in Arthur Smith offense

A lot of today's media consumption can be vibes-based, and not facts-based: Sometimes people run with the emotions surrounding a story instead of actually digging into the data and pertinent information.

That's exactly what is going on with the uproar about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and his snap count. Yes, Pickens was held to a 2024 season-low 26 receiving yards on three catches after being targeted seven times -- tied for the second most targets he's had in a game so far through five weeks. He did also register a season-low 34 offensive snaps, nine fewer than his next-lowest total of 43, which he had in the Steelers' 13-6 road win at the Denver Broncos in Week 2. 

However, Pickens wasn't freaked out about it when asked about his snap count on Thursday. 

"It was just part of a game structure, game plan. You know, a lot of players play or something like that," Pickens said Thursday, via PennLive. 

Perhaps Pickens stirred the pot and gave people the idea that he was frustrated with his usage by wearing the statement "Open f---ing always" on his eye black tape in Week 5. 

For context, Pickens registered 44 snaps in the team's road win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, 43 snaps in a Week 2 win at the Denver Broncos, 48 snaps in a Week 3 win against the Los Angeles Chargers and 59 snaps in a Week 4 loss at the Indianapolis Colts. Pittsburgh trailed 17-0 in Indianapolis, forcing the Steelers to throw the ball at a higher rate than they usually do. Quarterback Justin Fields threw a season-high 34 passes in Week 4, an uptick from his 2024 season average of 27.2 pass attempts per game, which rank 22nd in the league this season. The wideout had a simple reply when asked if he can "earn back" more snaps. 

"No," Pickens said. "That's not on me. It's all up to [Steelers OC] Art [Smith]. If Art wants to do a certain type of play or certain types of game plans, it's going to be different."

Arthur Smith, notorious for his tenure as the Atlanta Falcons head coach and offensive play-caller from 2021-2023 for not maximizing the top-10 draft pick talents of wide receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts, had a similar answer to his wide receiver. 

"We were limited in possession the way the game flowed. ... you go into any game plan, certain players and how we package things, you try to maximize snaps," Smith said Thursday, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Different lifetime, but I've certainly done this with other premium players. I've done it with Derrick Henry. He wanted to be out there every play, but he wasn't out there on all the third downs. He got plenty of touches. Did it with A.J. Brown early. ... He still played a majority of the snaps. ... I get it. You lose a game, something may look off or whatever. ... Guys know their roles and how you package things. Those are week-to-week things. That's the best way I can answer it."   

However, Smith is featuring Pickens the way other NFL teams do for their true No. 1 wide receiver. His 36 targets are tied for the 22nd most in the NFL this season with Buccaneers Pro Bowler Mike Evans, Commanders Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin, Bengals Pro Bowler Ja'Marr Chase, Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers and Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who is atop Vegas' receiver depth chart with Davante Adams sidelined with a hamstring injury. 

Pickens has been on the field for 228 offensive snaps this season, the same amount as Evans, which ranked as tied for 41st among NFL wide receivers. Evans' Buccaneers played an overtime game in Week 5 at the Atlanta Falcons, so the fact that Pickens has the same amount of snaps as him indicates he's not having his playtime curtailed in a dramatic fashion. 

Relative to the amount of times that Pittsburgh throws the football, Pickens' 36 targets account for 27.9% of the Steelers' team targets, the sixth-highest team target share in the entire NFL in 2024.

Highest percentage of team targets this season 

It makes sense for any offense with Fields as its starting quarterback to be ranked in the bottom half of the league in pass attempts per game. He is a great rusher, ranking fourth among quarterback this season in rushing yards (172), tied for second in rushing touchdowns (three) and third in carries (44). Pittsburgh's offense struggled as a whole against Dallas' injury-plagued defense on Sunday, with Pickens showing frustration plenty of times. He threw his helmet on the sideline and yanked Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis down by his facemask at the end of the game after the two went back and forth all night long. Not everyone in the NFL takes losing well. 

"When it's third down and you don't convert, a lot of fans are mad as well," Pickens said when asked about throwing his helmet on the sideline.   

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, who has practiced fully on both Wednesday and Thursday after missing the first five games of the season with a calf injury, has played with a lot of big personalities in his 13-season NFL career. Retired Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman stands out amongst the crowd of Wilson's long list of teammates. He doesn't have a problem with Pickens' emotions or desire to catch passes. Based on what the numbers and personnel say about the 2024 Steelers offense, people also shouldn't take an issue with Pickens' target rate or offensive snap count.

"We love the player that he is," Wilson said Thursday, via ESPN.com. "We love the competitor that he is and that's the thing that you have to understand. Is George a bad teammate? Absolutely not. Is George a hell of a player? Absolutely. Is he a great competitor? Absolutely. Is he a guy that wants the ball? Absolutely. Is he a guy that can do anything on the field that most people can't? Absolutely. So I think the best thing that we can focus on is find different ways to get up in the ball, obviously also to him staying composed, that matters -- but also understanding that it's all team effort."