Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s rookie season wasn’t anything spectacular when you look at the stat sheet. He played in 13 games (12 starts) and threw for just 2,404 yards with a 63.0 completion percentage, tossing seven TDs to nine INTs. Still, Pickett added another 237 yards and three TDs on the ground and helped stabilize the Steelers offense in the second half of the season, leading the team to a 7-2 record down the stretch while showing glimpses of clutch play you want to see in your potential franchise QB.
Heading into the 2023 season, many are expecting Pickett to make that next step in his second season in the league, having a year of experience under his belt while also having an improved OL and receiving core around him. Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently included Pickett in his unproven QB rankings for 2023, listing seven names of passers who are past their rookie seasons that are looking to show they belong in the league as starting QBs. Pickett came in fifth on the list, ahead of Sam Howell of the Commanders and Desmond Ridder of the Falcons, but behind Mac Jones of the Patriots, Jordan Love of the Packers, Justin Fields of the Bears, and Brock Purdy of the 49ers.
“Pickett’s accuracy was a bit questionable throughout the year and he didn’t have a single multi-passing touchdown game last year, so there are certainly still some areas for him to grow,” Sullivan wrote. “There was some improvement in the second half of the year where the offense scored at least 20 points in five of their final nine games following the Week 9 bye. If Canada’s offense takes a step back, that could be bad news for Pickett.”
Sullivan mentions OC Matt Canada as a key piece regarding Pickett’s ranking as the controversial play caller hasn’t exactly become a fan favorite in Pittsburgh over the last couple of years. In 2022, Canada’s offense finished 26th in scoring, 24th in passing, 16th in rushing, and 23rd in red zone efficiency. The offense was much worse than that to start the year as the running game struggled mightily to get anything going and the combination of Pickett and Mitch Trubisky at QB failed to string together scoring drives in the second half of games, sputtering out as Pittsburgh fell to 2-6 at the bye week.
Still, the offense improved in terms of establishing the run game and making big plays when it mattered most down the stretch. While Pickett needs to take a step forward in 2023, so does Canada in terms of being more innovative and finding ways to create more splash plays, both in the running game as well as in the passing game.
Pickett’s ranking on this list isn’t completely absurd when looking at a statistical breakdown of last season with Fields rushing for over 1,000 yards at the QB position and Purdy sparking a potent 49ers offense to a big playoff run. Still, Pickett should easily compete with the likes Jones, who had a down season in 2022, as well as Love, who is entering his first full season as the team’s starting QB. We will see shortly who takes that step forward this coming season, but if Canada can manage to be an average play caller, Pickett has the weapons and improved OL to take that step forward.
