The Cleveland Browns held wide receiver George Pickens to 48 yards on just four catches when they played the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago, but head coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t sleeping any lighter figuring out ways to contain him.
On the season, Pickens has racked up 850 receiving yards and three touchdowns, but his production started to uptick when Russell Wilson took over under center for the Steelers. As long as the Steelers can keep him collected on the sideline, Pickens is a threat and a gold-star player for every opposing team to identify.
Stefanski is working through that this week with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Asked about what Pickens brings to the table, Stefanski had high praise for the young receiver:
“Having faced him a bunch of times now, last few years, he’s a challenge in the past game like you mentioned. He’s a contested catch player where he’s always open. The quarterback always feels like he’s open. He can throw it into coverage and they feel like he’s going to come down with the ball. They’ve expanded his routes and where he’s running them, how he’s running them throughout this offense this season. So he’s a very big challenge. You have to understand where he is at all times.”
The Browns will need the struggling Martin Emerson Jr. back on his A-game against the Steelers as the bigger-bodied cornerback will need to stick with the bigger-bodied receiver. The Browns were able to limit Pickens the last time out. Can they do it again?