The Pittsburgh Steelers and its fanbase, for the most part, firmly believe the franchise has found its quarterback of the future in Kenny Pickett. Much of that feeling weighs heavily on how the second-year quarterback finished his rookie season. As the Steelers look to turn a quick pseudo-rebuild into playoff success, all eyes around the league will be fixated on No. 8 to see how much of a factor he can be to the team’s success.
In a quick segment on NFL Live, analyst Field Yates and former NFL head coach Herm Edwards both lent their thoughts on the young quarterback from the University of Pittsburgh, signaling that Pickett must capitalize on his late-season surge.
Yates rebounded a discussion on the potential of Pickett’s most intriguing weapon, George Pickens, laying out the numbers on Pickett’s impressive run after the BYE week. With a 5-1 record and just one turnover, Pickett boasted the 7th-highest QBR in the league from Weeks 12 through 18. That doesn’t factor in the two game-winning drives he constructed against the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, each in primetime, to keep the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive.
To do so well in a small stretch in a rookie season isn’t so uncommon in the NFL. But translating that burst of success into a strong sophomore season is the real challenge for any would-be franchise quarterback in the NFL.
Edwards took that approach in his analysis of Pickett, saying “he’s got to build off how he ended the season.”
“And think about the conference he’s playing in, though, that’s what makes it so difficult,” Edwards added. “Because you’ve got [Joe] Burrow, [Lamar] Jackson and Deshaun Watson. Those are the three quarterbacks you gotta play against. They’re all pretty good. I don’t know if he’s as talented as those guys, but I do know this, the Pittsburgh Steelers have one thing that they live on; defense.”
Naturally, the conversation on the team’s success must factor in the defensive side of things. After all, while Pickett may have to shootout against these quarterbacks, there’s little he can do to impact their performances in the two games each he’ll see them in 2023. But, showing that he can put up points like those quarterbacks will impact the narrative surrounding Pickett.
On the whole, he’s a relatively unknown commodity. The Steelers’ competition in the second half of the season in 2022 was far from a gauntlet. While winning in the NFL is never easy, the Steelers had one of the easiest stretches of any team through Pickett’s successful run to close the season. On top of that, the Steelers’ focus in the back half of the season was on the running game. The offensive line, and by proxy Najee Harris, played much better in that regard, taking a lot of the pressure away from Pickett.
But that brings the conversation back to those game-winning drives. Playing like that isn’t a coachable trait. Either you got it or you don’t, and Pickett’s got it. To disregard those clutch performances is to disregard Pickett’s brightest example of what he brings to the team.
“I think the quarterback will improve, but it’ll never be a quarterback-driven team,” Edwards continued. “This will be a defensive-driven team. And if they can do that, they could be competitive in the division.”
The Steelers are primed for bully ball in 2023. The defense and running game should be better. But that’s quality team building around a young quarterback. Allowing Pickett to thrive will help in his development, eventually making the Pittsburgh Steelers a quarterback-driven team – much like his predecessor before him.
Edwards was likely speaking about the 2023 Steelers in a vacuum, but, with an improved team around him, Pickett’s chances to develop and make critical impacts on the success of the team will naturally increase. If he rises to the occasion, as he’s shown he’s capable of in the past, the conversation around him will naturally change from optimistic skepticism to deserved praise.
