The Pittsburgh Steelers gotten inconsistent play this season from starting QB Kenny Pickett. While Pittsburgh is 5-3, Pickett has struggled to put together complete games, turning things on in the fourth quarter but typically not doing much in the first three quarters. While the fourth quarter is the best time to be great, it’s a problem that Pickett’s dealt with issues this year. Now through 20 career starts, there are questions whether he’s really the long-term answer for Pittsburgh. NFL analyst Brian Baldinger joined The Cook and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan today and said he thinks Pickett is still capable of being the guy long-term for Pittsburgh.
“Well, I think he needs more time. You know, he played much of the season without Diontae Johnson. I think you gotta have at least a number two receiver. The tight end position is in complete flux right now. Looks like they’re gonna lean and go to the rookie, which I think they should do. And so they haven’t run the ball outside of last week very good. I don’t know how the quarterback’s supposed to overcompensate for all that stuff,” Baldinger said. “I think you need time to let these guys play themselves into a steady role and he needs help around him. I don’t know any quarterback that can just go out there and just win games by himself. ”
Pickett has dealt with injury issues around him this season, with both WR Diontae Johnson and TE Pat Freiermuth (who’s still out) missing time with hamstring injuries. Additionally, the offensive line has been up and down through nine weeks, and Pickett hasn’t always had adequate time to throw. As Baldinger pointed out, the running game hasn’t always been good this year, and with the Steelers being a team that was built to run the ball, that’s been a problem. With Broderick Jones inserted into the starting lineup at right tackle, the running backs had their best outing of the season against the Titans as the team ran for 166 yards in the win.
That’s a positive going forward, something that can help take the pressure off Pickett going forward. But Pickett has also dealt with accuracy issues throughout the season, which is a major problem for a second-year quarterback who is supposed to be the franchise guy. Baldinger doesn’t think that Pickett’s accuracy problems are all that big of a deal at this juncture of his career.
He thinks that it’s something he can fix.
“So I would not write Kenny Pickett off just because of what kind of competitor he is, how he prepares, how he leads. The one thing I would say is he’s gotta be more accurate. I mean, that’s not a secret,” Baldinger said. “And you know, we’ve seen Josh Allen improve his accuracy. We’ve seen Jalen Hurts improve his accuracy. We’ve seen Lamar Jackson improve his accuracy. If you wanted to evaluate all of those guys after basically a year of starting, like you would write them all off. But yet here they all are, you know, taking teams to the playoffs and beyond. So I’m not ready to write the final chapter on Kenny Pickett.”
Baldinger does think that Pickett needs to do a better job completing shorter, “layup-type throws,” and he missed one of those over the middle of the field to George Pickens last Thursday. It’s more excusable for Pickett’s accuracy on deeper throws to be off, but when he’s missing those short, easier throws, it’s much more of a cause for concern. Of course, in the fourth quarter, Pickett has dropped some balls in the bucket, including on a 3rd and 6 throw to Diontae Johnson to keep Pittsburgh alive last week.
So it then becomes a larger question of what’s happening with Pickett that he’s struggling with his accuracy early in the game. Is it the routes, the type of throws he’s being asked to make, or is it just mental? Baldinger is right that quarterbacks like Allen, Jackson and Hurts had serious questions about their accuracy early in their careers. Now, the three are universally regarded as among the top quarterbacks in the league. While Hurts and Jackson are much more adept at using their legs than Pickett (and really, Allen too), the point is that the accuracy problems Pickett’s dealing with now can be solved.
Given the issues Pickett’s dealt with due to the personnel around him, coupled with the fact that he is still young, it’s far too early to write him off. We’ve seen Patrick Mahomes struggle a little bit this year without help at wide receiver, and if Mahomes is struggling without a go-to receiver, Pickett is going to struggle when he really only has one reliable option to throw to. With Johnson’s return, the goal is going to be to get Pickens involved alongside him, and hopefully Freiermuth’s return in the coming weeks can elevate the passing game even more.
But it’s also fair to point out the very valid concerns about Pickett, namely his accuracy issues. If he can turn those around, I think he’ll be fine, but the second half of the season is going to show us a lot about who Pickett is and who he may be.
