Wide receiver Tyler Boyd has spent his entire 8-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. So he’s seen Pittsburgh Steelers culture first-hand from the opposite sideline twice per year since 2016.
Growing up roughly 15 miles from downtown Pittsburgh in Clairton, Pennsylvania, Boyd witnessed Steelers culture during his youth too. He might have more insight to whether or not the “Steeler Way” is dead than current Pittsburgh players.
So when asked about the recent drama surrounding Steelers wide receiver George Pickens on December 20, Boyd spoke his mind not just on Pickens but Pittsburgh’s team culture overall.
“It just shows the lack of camaraderie that’s over there,” Boyd said of Pickens’ lack of effort on some plays in Week 15, via ESPN’s Ben Baby. “I can’t really talk for anybody, but when things ain’t going well, you still gotta perform at a high level and do what you can to help your team.”
Bengals WR Tyler Boyd Criticizes Steelers’ George Pickens
Pickens has been through the wringer for his lack of effort on a running play that occurred during the first half of Week 15. The 22-year-old receiver then received major criticism for essentially admitting on December 19 that he didn’t block on the play because he wanted to avoid an injury.
But Boyd targeted Pickens for his effort on a different play.
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“I done seen a clip with him, what was it, on a pick. It kind of looked like he wasn’t trying to chase it down,” Boyd said, via Baby. “See, I don’t go about that. That’s something that they gotta deal with, and when things ain’t going good, that’s when your true colors show.
“I like to be the same player week in, week out whether it’s going good or bad for me.”
Boyd wasn’t the only one who noticed Pickens’ unusual running after the interception.
“Trying to figure out where George Pickens is going here after the interception,” the Steelers Depot’s X (formerly Twitter) account wrote as a caption to video of Mitch Trubisky’s second interception versus the Colts.
Trying to figure out where George Pickens is going here after the interception. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/fxd1v2WzQB
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 17, 2023
Boyd has never made the Pro Bowl in his eight-year career. He’s not likely to have his number retired in Cincinnati or experience any other post-career accolades.
But he’s been more than a solid contributor and teammate in Cincinnati for nearly a decade. Players like that can’t be overlooked, especially on franchises that have gone from bottom-feeder to perennial Super Bowl contender like the Bengals have.
The Steelers don’t appear to have enough players like Boyd right now, especially at wide receiver.
Pickens Will Play Against the Bengals
On November 26, the Steelers posted 421 yards in a 16-10 victory against the Bengals. Things appeared pointed in the right direction for Pittsburgh.
Since then, though, the Steelers haven’t won, and shockingly, the Bengals, with backup quarterback Jake Browning, haven’t lost.
Pickens had a few key catches, finishing with 3 receptions for 58 yards, in the win over the Bengals in Week 12. But after his admission to wanting to avoid injury on a running play, there were calls for the Steelers to make Pickens inactive for Week 16.
Head coach Mike Tomlin, though, told reporters on December 20 that Pickens will play.
“George is a talented guy, but he’s growing and growing in a lot of ways in regards to football and life,” Tomlin said, via Steelers insider Amanda Godsey. “We don’t run away from that, we run to that organizationally when we draft guys. We’re committed to being a component of their growth and development in all areas.
“As I mentioned earlier in the week, he’s very much a work in progress.”
Tomlin added that any discipline that Pickens will receive for his lack of effort on some plays in Week 15 will not be made public.
