PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed during his weekly Tuesday press conference that wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) is considered doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We’re just in the mindset now of getting him healthy as quickly as we possibly can,” Tomlin said. “There’s a potential for this week, but it’s an outside chance. If you press me, I’d probably say he’s out, or could be characterized as doubtful as we sit here. But, again, like we always do, we’ll go through normal procedure. We’ll let participation be our guide in terms of availability and then obviously the quality of that participation.”
Tomlin said Pickens first injured his hamstring after practice on Thursday, and there was hope it was a minor injury, but it turned out to be a “little more significant” than they originally thought after the MRI.
“When we got to the stadium, it was evident that the circumstance was more significant than we’d hoped,” Tomlin said.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in an appearance on the DVE Morning Show on Monday, Pickens suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Tomlin said after Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns that Pickens could have played, but not a full workload, and the Steelers didn’t want to risk him injuring it further.
“[He] was listed as questionable, we didn’t feel like he was gonna be able to play the type of number of snaps that we thought was worth putting him in an uniform, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said. “We didn’t want a small problem to become a big problem, so we put Scotty Miller in a helmet.”
Tomlin reiterated on Tuesday that they don’t want a small problem to turn into a big one in regards to Pickens.
Tomlin said there’s certainly a difference for the Steelers this week since they have a full week to plan without Pickens. Guys like Scotty Miller, Mike Williams, Ben Skworonek, and others will have an opportunity to step up.
On Sunday, Tomlin praised the secondary Steelers wide receivers for stepping up in Pickens’ absence. Scotty Miller had 21-yard reception, while Mike Williams snagged a 22-yarder. Van Jefferson also caught a 10-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson.
“It’s what we’ve been discovering or re-discovering throughout every component of this process,” Tomlin said when asked about what he found out about the wide receiver corps without Pickens. “You guys were asking about our lack of quote, unquote ‘No. 2’ during team development. The guys made plays. Whoever we throw the ball to makes plays. The strength of the pack is the pack. We got a bunch of guys that want to be the reason why we’re successful. And when given the opportunity, I they continually prove that. Whether it’s Scotty or Mike or Calvin or Van. We believe in our group, I know I’ve said that repeatedly. Maybe you’ll start believing me.”
Tomlin believes it’s “only a matter of time” before Williams takes off. He thought that started against the Browns.
The Steelers will need Williams and the other receivers to rise to the occasion, as the Eagles have an elite secondary. The secondary has really shined with rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean playing at a high level. The Eagles rank second in pass defense, allowing only 178.5 yards per game.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.