Coming off of a solid finish to his rookie season in which he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a handful of late-game wins down the stretch, quarterback Kenny Pickett is poised to take the next step in his career entering Year Two.
From a play perspective on the field, things should be slower for Pickett. He’s adjusted to the speed of the game, is extremely comfortable in offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s system and knows his teammates well, having established a strong relationship with many faces on the roster.
Pickett needs take one additional step this season, too, at least according to former NFL safety and current Good Morning Football co-host Jason McCourty.
That step? Becoming the true leader and captain of the Steelers.
In a segment Monday morning on Good Morning Football highlighting players that are now the faces of their teams, McCourty tabbed Pickett in Pittsburgh as the guy that is the captain now and needs to step up, be vocal and lead the Steelers forward if they want to get back to the playoffs in 2023.
“Last year, Kenny Pickett was competing to start with Mitch Trubisky. This year, it is his team. He is the captain of the ship. He has to steer it,” McCourty said, according to video via Good Morning Football’s YouTube channel. “On defense, you have T.J. Watt, you have Cam Heyward. Patrick Peterson was added to the team. On the offensive side of the ball, it’s a lot of younger players. You have George Pickens, the guy who came in with him. Najee Harris. These aren’t the seasoned vets. And now Kenny Pickett is the one calling the plays in a huddle, lining up and doing all of those things.
“The Steelers are historic franchise and they’re used to winning. And for them to get back there, back to the playoffs, Kenny Pickett is gonna have to step up, be vocal, and lead that team. So I’m going with Kenny Pickett.”
Pickett has said multiple times this offseason that he’s much more comfortable in his leadership role this summer rather than where he was last year, in which he was the rookie aiming to be seen and not heard. That’s a hard change this year in which he’s the man under center and the focal point of the offense.
It’s his offense, and soon will be his team overall.
That leadership component comes naturally to Pickett, and he started to assert himself in that role this offseason, organizing throwing sessions in Miami with fellow offensive players, and putting in work in New Jersey with veteran receiver Allen Robinson II in hopes of hitting the ground running come training camp.
Pickett has stated that he’s aiming to take full ownership of the Steelers offense this season, too, which is great news for the Steelers. While it seems a bit unfair from McCourty to say that if the Steelers want to get back to the playoffs that Pickett needs to step up and be that leader, he does need to play better.
Better play leads to better leadership, usually. The defense is stocked full of true leaders, including team captain Cameron Heyward. Entering 2023, Pickett has to become that type of leader for a young offense overall. He has the intangibles to do just that. Now it’s about immersing himself into that role, really grabbing it by the horns and running with it.
