The Pittsburgh Steelers were known to be unhappy with the antics of their wide receivers during the 2023 season. There were countless times where George Pickens and Diontae Johnson showed a lack of effort, and threw fits on the sidelines. That was hopefully going to be improved in 2024, as Johnson was traded away and a new wide receivers coach was hired in Zach Azzanni.
Pickens and Azzanni reportedly aren't getting off to the best start. Azzanni had already made comments during the offseason about Pickens needing to show more effort, and he approached the receiver for the same reason during the first day of training camp. This was reported by insider Ray Fittipaldo in his recap of the team's first practice in Latrobe.
"New receivers coach Zach Azzanni and George Pickens got into a heated exchange late in practice when Azzanni didn’t like the way Pickens executed his assignment. Pickens didn’t take kindly to Azzanni’s words. Some of the other receivers approached Pickens after the exchange, but Pickens was visibly upset."
This can certainly be seen as an issue, however both parties are competitors. It's Azzanni's job to get the best out of his receivers, even stars like Pickens. It's good to see the new coach is taking it hard on Pickens, as he will be relied upon a ton during the 2024 season with all the question marks behind him in the wide receiver room.
