Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has harped all offseason on wanting more of a stake in Pittsburgh’s offense, and he told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe after the game he thinks he has it.
“Ownership of the offense is something I was really pushing for this offseason. I think I’m starting to get there, I understand what we want to do and our guys and how everybody plays. The style of routes these guys like to run and what everybody does best. So I feel like I have good ownership of the offense right now,” Pickett said postgame on NFL Network.
If Pickett taking more ownership of the offense means we’ll see him perform the way he did this preseason, that’s a really, really good sign for the Steelers now and going forward. He finished the preseason 13-of-15 with 199 yards and two touchdowns in five drives, all of which ended in touchdowns for the Steelers.
So far, the hype around Pickett taking a leap in his second season seems real. He faces a tall order in the San Francisco 49ers defense in Week One, but Pickett has looked really good thus far in the preseason. He’s hit on explosive plays, including two tonight, and both his touchdowns in the preseason were explosive plays. Pittsburgh’s offense needs more splash and explosives, and with Pickett looking downfield more this year, they’re getting it.
The regular season is a different beast than the preseason, so we’ll see if Pickett can keep things up. But he’s got to feel good after his performance in the last three games, and I’m confident that Pickett is going to lead this offense to a season much better than it had in 2022.
As he matures, his ownership stake in the offense will continue to grow even more. But he’s taken major strides forward this offseason, both in his physical and mental attributes, and becoming a better leader with more ownership comes with that.
There’s more responsibility on Pickett’s shoulders, and he’s going to have to be the guy to answer for when things go wrong, but not much has gone wrong so far in the preseason. Pickett’s leadership ability has also been continually praised by his teammates and coaches. With more on his plate, that ability will become an even bigger part of his game.
Pickett’s development in Year Two is going to be one of, if not the biggest, storylines for Pittsburgh this season. If he shows during the regular season that he’s taken meaningful steps forward like his preseason play would suggest, the Steelers should be in line for a postseason run in 2023.
