Cam Heyward Thinks Steelers Could Be Better Team Because of George Pickens Trade
Many considered the Pittsburgh Steelers “losers” from the George Pickens trade. On paper, it certainly doesn’t make them a better football team, but he was a major thorn in the Steelers’ side with a litany of off-the-field and on-field antics. It’s a classic addition by subtraction case.
All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward thinks the Steelers could be a better team because of the Pickens trade.
“I think we’ve got to look at the track record of trading wide receivers,” Heyward said on his Not Just Football podcast. “There’s been some good history behind this and when to do it, what to expect. I was looking at a stat. There’s only been like three or four receivers that made it past the rookie contracts with the Steelers. It’s crazy.
“You had AB; you had Diontae Johnson; you had Hines Ward; I think you had JuJu [Smith-Schuster] for another year. For the most part, they know when to re-sign and when to trade, and we’ll see what happens. We could be a better team because of it.”
Steelers receivers rarely shine after leaving Pittsburgh. There’s been a few exceptions, though. Most notably Emmanuel Sanders’ tenure with the Denver Broncos. It will be interesting to see if George Pickens takes off in Dallas, or if he’ll be the next Chase Claypool or Diontae Johnson.
Heyward found out about the Pickens trade like everyone else.
“I didn’t know anything about it. . . . I woke up the next morning, and he had been traded,” Heyward said. “Was I surprised? Yeah, but the game is the game. I know it benefits both teams. We get another third-round pick. They get a wide receiver to go along with CeeDee Lamb. Would I have liked to see George and DK play together? Yeah, but hopefully there’s something in the works. I don’t know.”
NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated doesn’t think Steelers are in a rush to add another playmaker.
While Breer doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Steelers will trade for a wide receiver at some point, he thinks they want to get another look at some of their younger players first.
“My sense is that they’d like to see the development of their young receivers,” Breer wrote. “The Steelers are higher on Calvin Austin III than the general public realizes. He’s dynamite with the ball in his hands, and progressed steadily in his first year under OC Arthur Smith. There’s also 2024 third-rounder Roman Wilson, whose rookie year was beset by injury.”