Steelers HC Mike Tomlin offers a ridiculous explanation for George Pickens snaps

Suppose you were paying attention during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. In this case, you may have noticed that wide receiver George Pickens was conspicuously absent during seemingly important moments in the game.

Pickens, the team's No. 1 wide receiver, appeared to have an unusual amount of rest on Sunday and was not on the field at times when one would assume he should be the team's top target.

After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed this when asked by the media and offered a rather strange explanation for it.

Mike Tomlin says George Pickens was limited due to “snap management” – compared to resting and rotating defensive lineman like Cam Heyward – and that there is “no underlying story.”

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 7, 2024

Tomlin attributed the absence to what he called “snap management” and compared the 23-year-old Pickens to 35-year-old Cam Heyward in terms of resting and rotating players.

This is definitely not true. Pickens should never have to leave the field unless he is injured or there is some other reason that Tomlin doesn't want to address publicly. We really hope this isn't the start of something worse with Pickens, but after last season, nothing would shock us with him. Pickens caught three passes for 26 yards on Sunday night.