Mark Madden's Hot Take: Trading George Pickens was still the right move for Steelers

As the Steelers stay embedded in the mushy middle with no escape in sight, the new blame-game sidebar is the trade of wideout George Pickens to Dallas for two draft picks this past offseason, that the Steelers shouldn’t have done it.

Pickens is having a great year in Dallas: 73 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns. Pickens has more receiving yards than all of the Steelers wideouts combined. He’s got nearly double the yards of top Steelers receiver DK Metcalf.

But trading Pickens was still the right move.

You don’t win with players like Pickens. He’s a selfish, disruptive distraction. He showed up late for a game in Pittsburgh, he’s broken curfew in Dallas.

How many times do the Steelers have to not win with players like that before you believe it? (See Brown, Antonio.)

Anyway, Pickens would not be having a huge season in Pittsburgh like he’s having in Dallas.

Dallas has an elite quarterback in his prime, Dak Prescott.

Dallas has an elite wideout on the other side, CeeDee Lamb.

Dallas has an offensive scheme that isn’t ancient: No fat-kid tight end jumbo package.

The Steelers have a heritage quarterback. Don’t use the middle of the field or take deep shots. The offensive concept is Paleozoic.

If Pickens was still a Steeler, his stats would be minimal and he’d be unhappy.

The Steelers have done a rotten job getting the ball to Metcalf. Pickens would be just another guy they don’t get the ball to.

As we’re hearing more and more, personnel isn’t the Steelers problem — though the personnel isn’t great. The schematics are outdated.

Dallas won’t win with Pickens.

That’s OK by him. He just wants stats and money.