George Pickens, a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been in the news recently for flagrantly failing to block when his team ran the football during their Sunday loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

After the game, Pickens said he was attempting to prevent himself from suffering the same kind of injury that Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Tank Dell recently did.

According to ProFootballTalk, teammate Jaylen Warren appeared to fan the flames when he stated that he would have blocked if the circumstances had been the same.

Pickens, a young athlete with promise who is in his second season at the University of Georgia, has already amassed 814 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season.

But before he can really start to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver, he needs to learn to do his blocking duties reliably and give up his body to benefit his team.

Warren appeared to suggest that Pickens might not have had that in mind this past weekend.

Warren remarked, “I understand where he’s coming from,” according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Ray Fittipaldo. “It is what it is.” He was acting in his own best interests at the end of the day.

The Steelers, who are 28th in points and passing yards, 29th in first downs, and 31st in passing touchdowns, have been among the NFL’s worst offensive teams in 2023.

Ben Roethlisberger, who is already retired, has no right to be the quarterback of the future, and wide receiver Diontae Johnson hasn’t lived up to expectations, at least not after his 2021 Pro Bowl season.

Pittsburgh will need to put in a lot of work if they want to make the playoffs, as they have games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, and Baltimore Ravens scheduled.