Kenny Pickett isn’t a rookie anymore. He’s no longer the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup. He’s no longer the prospect, the kid from Pitt, the unknown potential future. He is the starter. He’s the present.
And he’s not even Kenny Pickett anymore.
As dubbed by Cam Heyward and the Steelers’ locker rom, Pickett has a new nickname. “Big Ken.” That’s what Heyward said appearing on Good Morning Football this morning, where he’ll make regular media appearances throughout the week.
“With Kenny, now we call him Big Ken,” Heyward said. “He’s just growing into that position. Last year was that tip of the iceberg. Learning things on the fly. Getting to know your receivers. Just understanding the NFL game.”
It turns out the Steelers haven’t strayed too far from the Ben Roethlisberger “Big Ben” era after all. A rookie who played sooner than expected, Roethlisberger seeing the field Week Two, Pickett subbing in at halftime of Week Four. While Pickett didn’t have the team success Roethlisberger did out of the gate, their second seasons look similar. A good offensive line. A commitment to the run game. A defense that should be the anchor of the team. All led by a veteran coach. In 2005, that was Bill Cowher. In 2023, it’s Mike Tomlin.
And perhaps the nickname, as Heyward joked, is a play-on of the Barbie movie.
“He brings that Ken energy,” Heyward said.
There’s plenty riding on Pickett’s shoulders this year. While Pittsburgh won’t ask him to be the sole catalyst to win games, he’s competing in a difficult AFC North that has three top-end quarterbacks in Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson (a true Wild Card but someone who has the talent to be great). And all three of those guys aren’t going anywhere, Burrow and Jackson signing mega-extensions this year while Watson received a fully guaranteed deal in 2022. There will be moments where Pickett must elevate his game, as he did last year leading game-winning drives against the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens in back-to-back weeks.
For Heyward, he believes Pickett will meet the moment.
“This year, he’s a lot more comfortable. He’s got a lot more parts around him.”
Pittsburgh added to its offense by improving their offensive line with left guard Isaac Seumalo, acquired a veteran wideout in Allen Robinson, drafted a hulking tight end in Darnell Washington, along with the growth of the returning players from a season ago. That doesn’t even mention the explosive impact WR Calvin Austin III brings.
Still, Pickett production will have to look better than last season. Stats don’t tell the complete story but he needs to have multi-touchdown performances, something the Steelers haven’t gotten from a quarterback since Week 14 of the 2021 season. He needs to increase his completion percentage, he needs a far better touchdown to interception ratio. All things he’s capable of doing. But all that matters are the results.
“Big Ken” will have to come up large this season, beginning this Sunday against a tough San Francisco 49ers’ front.
