Steelers' Najee Harris Offered Key Pieces Of Advice To Struggling George Pickens In Week 9 Win

Another Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver is in the spotlight, and not for the right reasons. George Pickens hasn't done anything even close to the heavily criticized Antonio Brown, but he has found himself facing a ton of scrutiny lately. After a few suspect performances on the stat sheet, Pickens took to his Instagram to post a story that was captioned "Free Me."

Not the best look for the second-year wideout, but he denies it had anything to do with football. Even during the Week 9 contest though, fans could see the poor body language from Pickens. That's something that he will (hopefully) get better with as time passes, as he's still just 22 years old. When speaking to the media on Wednesday, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, running back Najee Harris detailed what he said to Pickens at halftime of the Tennessee Titans contest.

"It's just gonna be part of the NFL. I talked to him at halftime. Whenever you're a key player in the offense, they're not just gonna let you blow up the stat sheet. I think that's what people fail to realize. ...They're not gonna let you be a game wrecker. They're gonna find ways to minimize that player and when you find ways to minimize that player, it creates somebody else's opportunity to eat."

Leadership. It's something that Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has raved about with Harris since he came to Pittsburgh. Following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the offense lacked a clear leader. That's when the Steelers annointed Harris, who was set to enter just his second season in the NFL as a team captain. As Kenny Pickett took over leadership roles, he was named a captain over Harris for the 2023 season.

While the running back has taken a backseat to the captaincy responsibilities, he still remains one of the primary leaders on the offense. This becomes even more clear after his comments about Pickens, as he tried to mentor him throughout that Titans contest. While Harris hasn't exactly lived up to the billing of a first-round pick, he's remained professional throughout.

"I was telling GP, it's okay, there's nothing wrong with being frustrated. It's just how you handle things when you're frustrated. Obviously, he's a talented guy. I was just telling him, in the middle of the game too, that you got to keep your composure man. You're gonna have an opportunity," Harris said to Adamski.

That includes this season in which Harris has seen his snap count decline with more involvement of Jaylen Warren. It's allowed Harris, who saw a league-high 381 touches his rookie year, to be more fresh. After a blowout to the Houston Texans in Week 4, Harris was heard having a conversation with rookie tackle Broderick Jones. Despite losing his captain status, the running back remains a vocal leader for Tomlin.

Does The Steelers Offense Need More Leaders Like Harris?

The team needs leaders like Harris, particularly as guys like Cam Heyward get older. While it's a new era in the NFL, the Steelers must be careful with these scenarios like Pickens' recent actions. The fan base has seen several players act up over the years, and it typically begins with poor actions like this. That's not to say the wideout can't turn things around, but it's a positive to hear that Harris did his best to calm down his fellow teammate.

Do you think Harris should have been named a captain again in 2023? Are you concerned about the long-term outlook for a guy like Pickens with his recent antics? What were your thoughts on Tomlin's comments about Pickens on Tuesday? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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