Most people’s feelings and projections about the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers centered around the team’s offense. More specifically, would second-year QB Kenny Pickett step up his game? If we can take anything away from training camp and the first two preseason games, early returns on the question are positive.
On Monday, offensive coordinator Matt Canada was asked about Pickett and how he’s improved, and 93.7 The Fan was there with Jeff Hathhorn.
“Plays have answers for mostly every coverage, right?” Canada said. “I mean, that’s universal. That’s not anything special. I think obviously, the game is slowing down for Kenny… Kenny sees it and he dissects the defense. He’s getting the ball to the right place at the right time. Thought he stepped up in the pocket a couple times with his eyes downfield. Almost got Allen (Robinson II) one, got him on the next one. So, I thought he played well, and I think he’s seeing things very well.”
Earlier in the interview, Canada talked about Pickett’s rough start in his first NFL game where he stepped in at halftime of the Steelers’ Week-Four loss to the New York Jets. Pickett completed 10 of his 13 attempts, but those three misses were interceptions. He did rush for two touchdowns, though.
“That was a fast-moving train,” Canada said. “He got to the bye and settled a little bit, and he continued to play better.”
Pickett threw nine interceptions in 13 games, but as Canada noted, he got better after the bye week. Eight of his nine interceptions were thrown prior to the Steelers’ bye week in Week Nine. He also threw five of his seven touchdowns after the bye.
So, Pickett’s improvement started mid-season in 2022, but it was still obvious that massive improvements were needed from the second-year quarterback if Pittsburgh wanted to get back into contention with Pickett taking snaps.
All Pickett has done in the preseason is show those steps have been taken, and Canada has pointed that out. Pickett was nearly flawless in his first series against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with only one incompletion and hitting WR George Pickens for a 33-yard touchdown.
In the second preseason game, Pickett once again had a sterling performance, capped off by throwing TE Pat Freiermuth open away from the trailing linebacker for a 25-yard touchdown. He has shown the ability to distribute the ball well on almost every throw, making good decisions about where to throw and when to throw it.
Pickett has even called out where he and the offense need to step it up, highlighted by a missed blitz against the Buccaneers. If Pickett continues to make the right decisions with the ball and finds the areas to improve, Canada will likely continue to praise the play of his young quarterback.
