It’s been a whirlwind offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers — one like we’ve never seen before. General manager Omar Khan dismantled the quarterback room and revamped it with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Khan also made a couple of other significant roster-altering moves, sending Diontae Johnson to Carolina and Kenny Pickett to Philadelphia. His actions spoke louder than words by establishing a precedent that the franchise is done dealing with entitled players who feel they’re above the Steelers.
George Pickens is one of those players, and if he wants to remain a Steeler, he’d better shape up or he’ll be shipped out.
Pickens, 23, displayed character unbecoming of representing the black and gold last season, throwing sideline tantrums and hurting drives with taunting penalties.
As Pickens prepares for his third season with a vastly different offense around him, he might want to work on the attitude because the trade deadline isn’t until October.
Story originally appeared on Steelers Wire
If anything got to the heart of OJ Simpson’s troubled legacy in the NFL, it was the lack of reaction to his death from a sport at which he excelled.
Simpson, whose death at the age of 76 was announced on Thursday, was one of the greatest running backs of all time. He played in the NFL for 11 seasons, led the league in rushing on four occasions and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. His induction into the hall came 10 years before the murder trial, where he was controversially acquitted of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, that would overshadow his playing career.
That trial, which ended his image as a lovable retired football star, explains the silence. When Jim Brown, a similarly talented running back, died last year the NFL tweeted a tribute within minutes of the announcement of his passing. “We are heartbroken by the passing of the legendary Jim Brown,” read the tweet. “One of the greatest players in NFL history, a true pioneer and activist. Jim Brown’s legacy will live on forever.” In contrast, the NFL’s only tweet on Thursday morning was a look back at the 1989 draft.
On the NFL’s official website, which usually posts lengthy tributes to former stars when they die, often with video from the league’s huge archive, Simpson’s death was reported with agency copy. There was no look back at his greatest games or finest touchdowns.
ESPN, the mainstream voice of sports in America, aired a segment in which reporter Jeremy Schaap reflected on Simpson. “Anyone who has seriously looked at the evidence … would have to come to the conclusion that he was a murderer,” said Schaap. “And so am I filled with sorrow today? I’m not.”
NFL teams post tributes to social media when one of their former player dies, even if they only had a brief time with the franchise. But the Buffalo Bills, where Simpson played most of his career and became one of the most famous men in America, did not acknowledge his death on their social media accounts on Thursday. Several hours after Simpson’s death the most recent tweet on the Bills’ X account was a happy birthday message to one of their former wide receivers, Steve Tasker. Simpson’s other professional team, the San Francisco 49ers, and his college team, USC, also chose not to mention his death on their X accounts.
High-profile athletes such as LeBron James, who often reacts to the death of former sports stars, were largely silent. Caitlyn Jenner, who was an Olympic champion when Simpson’s football career was at its peak, tweeted “Good riddance”. Former NFL receiver Torrey Smith was one of the few football players willing to say anything remotely positive about Simpson.
“The amount [of] journalists/media companies that are using OJ’s court pictures to announce his death is disgusting! Regardless of what you may think about him he was innocent in court and has kids out here,” wrote Smith.
But while the sports world stayed largely silent, Simpson’s death was soon trending on X. Many of the most popular tweets were of Simpson being welcomed to hell.
Despite their need for a starting wide receiver across from George Pickens, the Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly looking to solidify the trenches early in the 2024 NFL draft.
According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, a team source recently said, “I can’t tell you the player, but I can tell you it’ll be an offensive lineman,” regarding the Steelers’ No. 20 overall pick.
While wide receiver is a need after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, Miller noted that he gets the sense the Steelers believe they are “elite” at identifying and drafting quality wide receivers outside the first round.
It is difficult to argue with that assessment since Pickens was a second-round pick and Johnson was a third-round pick. Dating back even further, the Steelers found Hines Ward in the third round, Antonio Brown in the sixth round, Mike Wallace in the third round and JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second round.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor acknowledged that wideout could be an option for Pittsburgh at No. 20, but she also noted that the Steelers have a significant hole at center after releasing Mason Cole.
That could make Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia center Zach Frazier compelling possibilities in the first round.
Miller mentioned the possibility of the Steelers taking a plug-and-play right tackle so that 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones can move to his more natural position of left tackle.
The 2024 draft class is stacked with quality offensive tackles, and while Miller named Georgia’s Amarius Mims and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton as possible targets, Alabama’s JC Latham and Arizona’s Jordan Morgan could also be there at No. 20.
Regardless of whether the Steelers go receiver or offensive line in the first round, it seems clear that helping out newly signed quarterback Russell Wilson is at the top of their agenda.
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