Kenny Pickett wasn’t necessary a quarterback that aired it out down the field as a rookie in 2022. Pickett averaged 6.2 yards per attempt on the season last year but averaged just 5.5 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, adopting more of the same dink-and-dunk style of play Pittsburgh had previously seen the last few seasons with Ben Roethlisberger.
We saw strides from Pickett to try and attack down the field more as the season wore on, but there was still a lot of meat left on the bone when it came to this offense producing splash plays in the passing game.
Pickett spoke to the media Tuesday on the first day of padded practice at training camp in Latrobe. When asked if he feels more comfortable taking deep shots down the field compared to a year ago, Pickett responded that having a year under his belt and better understanding the offense has given him more confidence to air it out if necessary this coming season.
“Yeah, I do,” Pickett responded to the media on video from the Steelers YouTube channel. “I feel like I have more ownership of the offense. I understand the looks that I need to see to take the shots down the field. I think we saw a good amount of ’em last week, and that’s something we want to continue to do and build on, you know? If the shots are there, we’re gonna take ’em.”
Pickett has been far better this training camp in terms of attacking down the field with deep shots. Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot has been on-site at training camp recording the stats of Pickett and the rest of the skill position players, noting that his yards per completion through the first four practices have skyrocketed from 4.2 YPC his rookie season to 11.4 this season.
Obviously, training camp practices without pads on is a completely different environment that facing an AFC North rival at the end of the regular season, but the difference that a year has made for Pickett and the deep ball is notable. That experience and confidence goes a long way in trusting his receivers and attacking certain defensive looks he sees when the opportunity presents itself.
The state of the offense under OC Matt Canada will always be a key factor in terms of the overall outlook of this group, but fans should be excited to see Pickett push the ball down the field more in 2023. If Pickett is to take the leap everyone is expecting him too in his second season, captaining a more explosive passing game this season should be high on the QB’s objectives.
