If Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett puts together performances in the regular season like he did in the preseason this summer, the Steelers are going to be in great shape when it comes to competing in the NFL.
Former NFL offensive lineman and current ESPN analyst Damien Woody certainly feels that way regarding Pickett and the Steelers in 2023. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up Thursday morning, Woody stated to the panel of former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky, former NFL wide receiver Harry Douglas, NFL reporter Kimberley Martin and host Mike Greenberg that if Pickett looks anything like he did in the preseason, look out.
“If Kenny Pickett looks anything like he looked in the preseason, there’s about to be a lot of teams in trouble,” Woody said, according to video via Get Up. “Kenny Pickett looked absolutely comfortable in the preseason. He was decisive, knew where he wanted to go with the football.”
Pickett looked downright phenomenal in the preseason. He played just five offensive series (28 plays, 315 yards) but led the Steelers to touchdowns on all five drives. Pickett completed 13-0f-15 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns and looked very good on the move throwing with great accuracy. He also pushed the ball down the field with great success for explosive plays, hooking up with George Pickens for 33- and 35-yard completions, Diontae Johnson on a 33-yard completion, and Pat Freiermuth on a 25-yard strike up the seam for a score.
There was a different feel to the Steelers offensively, and it started with Pickett’s Year Two development.
Granted, it was just the preseason, but Pickett really took the league by storm with his performance and has generated quite a bit of buzz and raised expectations for not only himself in his second season, but the Steelers’ offense overall under third-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Should Pickett be able to hit the ground running in the regular season and look like he did in the preseason, Pittsburgh is going to be a true contender, starting in Week One against San Francisco. Of course, it’s a big test in Week One against a loaded San Francisco defense, but Pickett has passed every test so far this offseason with flying colors.
There’s a real confidence to his game, and when you have great confidence, anything is possible in sports.
If the preseason performances were real from Pickett and this is who he is as a quarterback moving forward, the Steelers are going to instantly vault into that contender conversation, putting teams — like Woody stated — in a lot of trouble in 2023.
