The Ringer NFL writer Kevin Clark joined Colin Cowherd on The Herd Monday, and Clark broke down what he thinks the Steelers need to do in order for Kenny Pickett to make a jump in his second season.
“He’s got the weapons, George Pickens is gonna make a huge jump,” Clark told Cowherd. “You think about the system, you think about the fact that Pickett plays really well in tempo and two-minute. I think they know what he does well, and they should overemphasize that. Get him in tempo, don’t give him too much to think about. The Steelers are a smart coaching staff, they’ll figure it out.”
Pickens making a leap from strictly being a contested-catch threat downfield to more of an all-around wideout is going to help Pickett tremendously. That will give him two high-caliber receivers in Pickens and Diontae Johnson, as well as a veteran slot guy in WR Allen Robinson II and TE Pat Freiermuth over the middle. The plethora of weapons alone should help Pickett and tweaking the fundamental nature of the offense is something that Pittsburgh should consider.
You can’t go in tempo and run an essential two-minute drill all the time, and the Steelers want to play some bully ball and drain defenses with an effective run game. So while Clark’s point makes sense, it’s not the way the Steelers will predominantly play this season. But Pickett’s also shown he’s evolved with going through progressions and his footwork looks improved from last season. The Steelers’ offense was so rudimentary and basic last year that it has to change to help Pickett progress and utilize more routes across the board for the receivers.
But playing to Pickett’s strength and mixing in some tempo could happen on occasion, and it’s a good way to mess with the rhythm and timing of the defense, too. The Steelers also have the weapons in place with Pickens, Johnson and Calvin Austin III to dial up a big play, something that didn’t happen nearly enough last season, which was part of why the offense was so stagnant.
I have faith the Steelers will figure something out, given that Matt Canada is out of chances and knows he’s toast if the offense doesn’t have a good year. So there are going to be changes, which coupled with progression across the board and and their top-of-the-line defense, plus an improved offensive line should make the Steelers a threat throughout the season.
