Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis walked back his comments about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens.
"Honestly, I shouldn't have said that," Lewis told reporters Wednesday when discussing his postgame comments. "It was an emotional game. There was some chatter on the field. One thing led to another. He had a moment, I had a moment. It was too emotional, I shouldn't have said it."
The comments he was referring to came after the Cowboys' Sunday win over Pittsburgh. Lewis called Pickens "weak" as he headed back to the locker room: It was an emotional moment for the 29-year-old, as he was heading back to the locker room following quite the exchange in the immediate aftermath of the game.
Pickens reached out and grabbed Lewis' facemask after the final whistle, which sent the cornerback to the ground. They then had to be separated by the officials.
There was surely some frustration on Pickens' end as well, as he had just three catches for 26 yards and zero touchdowns in the 20-17 loss. He played just 34 of 58 offensive snaps, which head coach Mike Tomlin said was done with production in mind.
"We just wanted to minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity," Tomlin told reporters. "We're just trying to rep manage in terms of the totality of the big picture. He wasn't less of a focal point in terms of our intentions of what we wanted to do offensively."
Still, Lewis might be right about Pittsburgh needing another receiver.
While Pickens has 23 catches through five games, no other wide receiver on the roster has more than eight. Both tight end Pat Freiermuth (20) and running back Najee Harris (12) have more catches than every receiver outside of the No. 1 option.
Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that Pittsburgh has been one of the teams connected to Davante Adams as trade rumors regarding the Las Vegas Raiders pass-catcher circulate. For now, Pickens will remain the No. 1 option as the Steelers look to bounce back from Sunday's loss. And Lewis is ready to move on as Dallas turns its attention toward a potential playoff preview in a showdown with the Detroit Lions.