PITTSBURGH — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin passed off George Pickens’ reduced snap counts against the Cowboys as load management and refused to discuss any internal discipline Pickens has faced or is facing following Sunday night’s 20-17 loss — in which his No. 1 receiver played less than Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III.

After playing 76% of the snaps in the first month of the season, including 60-of-70 snaps against the Colts, Pickens played just 34 of the 58 snaps (59%) against the Cowboys. It was the lowest snap count of his three-year NFL career while Jefferson and Austin were on the field more often.

A source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pickens has shown up late for work on multiple occasions this season. Antonio Brown was notorious for being late, but Tomlin never reduced his snap counts.

From 2013 until 2018, his final season with the Steelers, Brown played anywhere from 91-96% of the snaps. One issue Brown never had was giving maximum effort when he was on the field.

If tardiness is not the reason for his reduced playing time, his effort on the field is at least part of the reason. Tomlin acknowledged that on Tuesday when he said. “That’s certainly part of the load management discussion,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin does not handle every player in the same manner, but he could be trying a new approach with Pickens. His effort has been called into question after clips of him jogging on routes and giving minimal effort on blocks have surfaced. He also slammed his helmet to the ground on the sidelines during the Cowboys game and pulled down Dallas cornerback Jordan Lewis by the facemask on the final play of the game.

“You have to understand where he is coming from,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “It’s not out of a bad place. He obviously wants to help us win as much as he can. He’s a great talent. We have to understand that and be there for him. But at the end of the day, he also has to understand this is a team sport. And he does. We’ve talked about that. He’s practicing hard. He’s doing all the right things. He’s been in a great mood this week, so he understands what we have to do as an offense.”

After the Cowboys game, Friermuth had a more pointed response when he was asked about the offense.

“I trust the coaching staff and what they’re doing,” Freiermuth said. “Everyone can bitch and complain about a lack of targets, but it’s the stuff you do without the ball. That’s what leaders do and that’s what good teammates do. I block my ass off regardless. The targets will find me as long as I’m going out there and doing my job. Whatever is asked of me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it the best that I can.”

It might not have been subtle, but Freiermuth made it a point to address the matter in the moments after the loss.

Despite his reduced snap count, Pickens still led the Steelers in targets against the Cowboys. He was targeted seven times, but he only had three catches for 29 yards. For the season, he has 36 targets, 13 more than tight end Freiermuth, who is next with 23.

When Tomlin was asked Tuesday how Pickens has improved as a blocker this season, he said: “You know, he's a backside, one-on-one matchup guy, so oftentimes he's not at the point of attack in the blocking game. Blocking responsibilities within our scheme are more handled by guys like Van Jefferson, to be quite honest with you, if you want a transparent answer.”

Pickens, at 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds, is one of the Steelers’ better blockers when he wants to be. There are clips of him putting cornerbacks on their behinds in his first two NFL seasons. He could be an asset to the running game, but the Steelers either don’t believe he’s giving full effort in those situations, or Arthur Smith is not putting him in those situations.

Austin, who is 5-9 and 161 pounds, is more involved in the running game than Pickens.

“At Memphis, we were always asked to block, crack down on safeties and linebackers,” Austin said. “We wouldn’t be able to play if we didn’t block. Especially with me being a walk-on and a smaller guy, I had to do that.

“Blocking comes down to belief in self and confidence and doing it. A lot of guys don’t block because of fear or they don’t want to. I love the game and I love my teammates. I love springing a guy open. When I get those opportunities to go all out on my blocking, and not just check a box but actually put hands on a guy and move him, it’s just to show I have no fear and I’m more than willing to do that.”

Austin was part of the same draft class as Pickens in 2022 and has seen him go through the highs and lows of being a star.

“There are a lot of ups and downs in this league,” Austin said. “George being a star in this league, he faces a lot more than I maybe face with the media and stuff like that. We’re all together at the end of the day. When we come together at the end of the day, as receivers, as players, and talk amongst each other, we know we have each other’s back. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters because we’re going to be going out there on the field.

“It’s about having trust in each other. When we step on that field, we do. It’s about working through those ups and downs of football and life. People go through real life stuff in this thing, and it’s not just football. Just sticking together and making sure everyone in the receiver room knows we’re all brothers and we can talk to each other regardless of what’s happening. We got each other.”

Pickens has not done an interview since last week. He ignored an interview request after the game and was not available Monday or Wednesday. While Pickens has not publicly voiced his displeasure with his usage, his father has on his X account.

“Arthur Smith this one is on you,” his father posted on Sunday.

“Don’t try to throw to George now. This offense is sad.”

On Wednesday, he posted: “George Pickens the Athlete. A very fiery competitor, that wants to win. He’s a very talented young guy that has definitely been misunderstood. He has the Super Competitive Gene. Guys with that Gene, have to be involved early and often. It’s an engaged tactic. Involve him early.”

Second-year tight end Darnell Washington played with Pickens at the University of Georgia and has known him since he was a teenager. Like Austin, he believes Pickens merely wants to contribute more to the offense.

“At the end of the day, he’s a competitor,” Washington said. “He loves to showcase his skills. I look at every situation different than others. I know his actions probably weren’t the right thing to do at the time. For me, I just try to pick him up. You never know what’s going on in someone’s life. Some people might wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Some people might be going through serious family problems, things like that.

“I don’t know his case or what’s behind it. I just try to pick people up, just try to motivate them and think about why they come to work, why they play the game, why they love the game, who they do it for.”

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