With training camp just a few days away, there’s a lot to be excited about as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. The team finished 9-8 and got hot down the stretch last year, then turned around and made the team better with some sound moves this offseason. While there’s a lot to be optimistic about regarding the 2023 Steelers, Bleacher Report believes the Steelers should be most optimistic about the growth of Kenny Pickett throughout last season and heading into 2023.
“The Steelers and their fans should feel great about the growth that Pickett showed over the course of the year,” Kristopher Knox writes. “Pickett is trending in the right direction, and he should show more growth after his second full offseason and first as the established starter under offensive coordinator Matt Canada. If Canada is willing to open up the playbook, Pickett could soar.”
Pickett went from a quarterback who struggled with turnovers and closing out late-game situations in the first half of the year to a clutch quarterback who helped lead the Steelers to a winning record down the stretch. Pickett entered camp last season entrenched in a three-way battle over the QB1 job, and didn’t have the opportunity to ever truly prepare as a starter until during the season.
But now the job is his, and going in with that mindset and putting in the work necessary to thrive as a starting quarterback in the NFL should help Pickett take strides. He’s going to need help from his offensive coordinator, as Eric Edholm of NFL Media laid out the other day, but if Matt Canada expands the playbook and opens up the middle of the field for the offense, Pickett should show noticeable growth.
If Pickett improves from 2022, the Steelers should be a playoff team. They just missed out on the postseason last year, and improving from their nine-win mark in 2022 to 10 or 11 in 2023 is certainly feasible, and should be expected at this point.
The defense is fully healthy, the offensive line improved and Pickett got some help in the form of Allen Robinson II. Contingent on the defense playing to the level they did with a fully-healthy T.J. Watt in 2022, it’s a team that should compete with the top of the AFC North and make the playoffs.
It’s not all on Pickett, as the run game also has to get more efficient. But both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren also got better as the year went on in 2022, and I would expect both of them to continue on an upward trajectory in 2023. Canada expanding and opening up the playbook is going to be the wild card, but he pretty much has to in order to save his job. I would be shocked if the Steelers offense was as basic and stagnant as it was last year. If that’s the case, then it’s going to be a dogfight week in and week out, but I’m not banking on that.
Pickett’s growth is going to be a storyline that follows the Steelers all season, and whether or not he takes a leap will largely determine how the 2023 season goes. I can’t wait to find out.
