George Pickens is seeing his production dip significantly this season, and now his own coach, Brian Schottenheimer, is directly addressing questions about his effort. This isn’t just about the receiving stats, either. It’s about being a full-package player, and right now, the spotlight is glaring on Pickens.
The Stats Are Telling a Hard Story
Let’s be real, the numbers for Pickens through six games this 2026 season aren’t pretty, especially when you compare them to last year. Sure, his per-game targets, at 8.66, and his catches, at 5.5, are roughly comparable to his 2025 averages of 8.05 targets and 5.47 catches. That’s fine, but that’s where the “comparable” part ends. His yards per game have taken a serious hit, dropping to 71.3 from a solid 84.0 in 2025. And get this: he’s only snagged one 100-yard game this year, a huge slide from the five he put up in 2025. The biggest gut punch? Just one touchdown so far, compared to nine last season. That’s a massive drop-off for a guy who was just rewarded with a franchise tag after a stellar contract year that kept him from a fair market deal. There’s a second tag looming if he can turn things around, but this performance isn’t doing him any favors.
Coach Schottenheimer Drops a Truth Bomb
With the stats looking shaky, questions have naturally emerged about Pickens’s effort, especially when the ball isn’t coming his way. And guess what? Coach Brian Schottenheimer didn’t shy away from it during a recent media session. Via Todd Archer of ESPN, Schottenheimer said, “I think GP is one of those guys where I don’t ever see him really affected in terms of the emotion of, ‘Does he get the ball? Does he not get the ball?’” Okay, fair enough, maybe the emotion isn’t the problem. But then came the kicker, the part that probably stung: “These guys play a lot of snaps. I think part of it is us rotating those guys through, but he needs to understand that he impacts us in the running game as well.”
There it is. The unspoken truth. It’s not just about running routes and catching passes. Receivers are a crucial part of the blocking scheme in the run game. When your coach publicly states that you “need to understand” your impact there, it’s a clear message. This isn’t just a stats slump, it’s about a fundamental understanding of his role and effort. Pickens is on the franchise tag, proving his worth for a big payday. Comments like this from the coaching staff? That puts his whole season, and maybe his future, on notice. He’s gotta show up, every snap.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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