The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2024.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do the same here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are wide receivers George Pickens and Miles Boykin.

George Pickens

Position: Wide Receiver
Years with the Steelers: 2
Years in the NFL: 2
Contract Status: Signed through 2025
Contract Details: $1,841,506 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $1,045,340 in dead money if released and save $796,166.
Games played in 2023: 17 regular season
Games started in 2023: 16 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 929 (offense), 4 (special teams)
PFF score: 74.1 (37th of 128)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Pickens had 1,140 receiving yards from 63 receptions on 106 targets with 5 touchdowns. Pickens led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception.

Notes: Pickens had an up-and-down season in 2023 while dealing with various frustrations and maturity issues. Having -1 receiving yards against the Titans in Week 9 and having no receptions against the Ravens in Week 18, Pickens still had five other games where he topped the century mark and went over 1000 yards for the season. With the exception of the Ravens game, Pickens saw an immediate bump in production with Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Obviously Pickens will be around for next season as potentially the Steelers top receiving target as long as he continues to improve his route running and can handle himself appropriately.

Miles Boykin

Position: Wide Receiver
Years with the Steelers: 2
Years in the NFL: 5
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2023: 17 regular season
Games started in 2023: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 121 (offense), 316 (special teams)
PFF score: 50.9 (DNQ for ranking), 68.6 for special teams
Notable stats: During the regular season, Boykin had 17 receiving yards from 3 receptions on 4 targets. Boykin also had 5 special teams tackles.

Notes: There was a problem with Miles Boykin in the Steelers offense in 2023 when Matt Canada was still the coordinator. Almost every time Boykin was on the field, the Steelers ran the football. These obvious tells should not be present in the NFL, but it was not Boykin’s fault that such a thing happened. A great at blocking at wide receiver position, Boykin is mainly known for his special teams ability as a gunner. Playing on a one-year deal with a veteran salary benefit contract, it would be wise for the Steelers to do the same thing again for 2020 for as long as Boykin is willing and able.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Broderick Jones & Chuks Okorafor
Joey Porter Jr. & Levi Wallace
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Rodney Williams
Nick Herbig & Markus Golden
Cory Trice Jr. & James Pierre
Spencer Anderson & Dylan Cook
Kenny Pickett & Mason Rudolph