Steelers’ Jaylen Warren on George Pickens not wanting to block for him: I ‘would have’ if roles were reversed

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked Wednesday how the locker room reacted to George Pickens‘ comments about not wanting to block for teammate Jaylen Warren in fear of getting injured during last Saturday’s loss to the Colts. 

“Ask them,” Tomlin said, via the Tribune-Review. 

The media obliged and asked Warren himself about his teammates’ lack of effort on the play and his reasoning behind it. 

“I see where he’s coming from,” Warren said, via the Post-Gazette. “It is what it is. At the end of the day, he was doing what he thought was best for him.”

Known for his honestly, Warren provided just that when asked as a follow up if he took issue with Pickens’ actions. “Some people play the game differently,” Warren replied. “If I was in that position I would have blocked for him. But we play differently, so …”

While that may not be a callout, Warren’s response is certainly telling. It’s clear that Pickens’ teammates aren’t happy with the situation, which only got worse after Pickens tried to justify his actions while also blaming the media for the criticism he is currently receiving. 

Things have gotten so bad that Steelers interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner and coach Mike Tomlin addressed the matter with the media on Wednesday, three days before Pittsburgh plays in a must-win game against a surging Cincinnati Bengals team. 

During his media session, Tomlin said that Pickens will play Saturday, but that didn’t mean that the second-year receiver was being punished internally for his recent actions. 

“George is a talented guy but he’s growing and growing in a lot of ways in regards to football and life,” Tomlin said, via ESPN. “We don’t run away from that. We run to that organizationally when we draft guys. We’re committed to being a component of their growth and development in all areas.”

Pickens’ situation is in many ways a microcosm of how the Steelers’ season has gone so far. Instead of pushing toward a possible playoff run, the Steelers are 7-7 after losing three straight games to teams that have a combined record of 14-28. 

While Pittsburgh appears to be imploding, its upcoming opponent has been laughing in the face of adversity in recent weeks. The Bengals have slingshot back into the AFC playoff picture after winning their last three games. A big reason for the Bengals’ recent success has been the play of Jake Browning, who has put up Joe Burrow-like numbers since replacing the injured Pro Bowl quarterback in the starting lineup.