Heading into his second season in the league, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. Numerous outlets have named him a breakout candidate, while the way he closed the season provided hope to Steelers fans that he can lead the team to the playoffs. Add analyst Brian Baldinger to those impressed with Pickett’s finish to the year, as during an appearance on NFL Network he praised Pickett’s play down the stretch in 2022.
“The way that he finished the season was really remarkable, because if you go into Baltimore and you just the rip the jugular out of the Ravens’ neck like he did…” Baldinger said, before breaking down Pickett’s throw to Steven Sims that set up the game-winning touchdown pass to Najee Harris.
“I thought he finished the season where he really laid claim to that position, and I think he really took a hold of it this offseason.”
Pickett is likely going to be Pittsburgh’s quarterback of the future, and he can prove why with a strong 2023. He has new weapons in receivers Calvin Austin III and Allen Robinson II, while receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens along with tight end Pat Freiermuth should take steps forward this season. Add in that the Steelers offensive line got better, and all the pieces are in place for Pickett to have success this season.
While he won’t have to shoulder a major load and be a guy who throws 35-40 passes a game, Pickett is going to need to show he can push the ball downfield. That’s the one part of his game we didn’t see a ton of last season, with the majority of Pittsburgh’s downfield offense coming on George Pickens winning 50-50 balls. Most of the time, that worked, but it can’t be a strategy for success going forward.
The Steelers are going to look to win with their run game, but Pickett is still the biggest piece of the puzzle. If he plays similarly to how he did down the stretch last season, Pittsburgh will be fine. He limited turnovers and was clutch, leading them to back-to-back comeback wins late in the fourth quarter against the Raiders and Ravens.
But there’s a lot he can do better, such as red zone passing and deep passing. It sounds as if Pickett has been putting in the work though, and I’m excited to see how he looks this year, and I’m pretty confident he’s going to take a step forward and show that the Steelers made the right choice making him their quarterback.
