The Pittsburgh Steelers moved on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday morning. The loud fire Canada chants can now cease. But with the top scapegoat for the Steelers’ offense out of the way, the pressure will be dialed up for the unit to improve. Excuses are running low and QB Kenny Pickett will feel the most of that pressure.
Adam Schein of NFL.com released a list of quarterbacks that have the most to prove through the rest of the 2023 season. Pickett was listed at number five.
“Nobody has defended Kenny Pickett more than I have. With Pittsburgh ranking 28th in scoring and total offense, I’ve continually pointed to coordinator Matt Canada as the biggest problem,” wrote Schein.
Many members of the national media have already started to write Pickett off, but those who remain optimistic for his future have centered their rebuttal around Canada. With Canada out of the building, Pickett will have more pressure on him than ever before.
“Pickett entered this season with great expectations to make a substantial leap in Year 2, especially after his pristine work throughout training camp and the preseason. But that just hasn’t been the case — at all. Pickett’s completion percentage and yards per attempt have actually dropped from his rookie campaign, and he’s managed just six touchdown passes in 10 starts.”
There is no doubt that Pickett’s production is not where it should be to justify the first-round draft pick the team invested in him. He has 22 starts in the NFL and while he has a decent win-loss percentage to his name and does a great job taking care of the football, that is pretty much the extent of what he is doing well.
The offensive line has improved throughout the season and so has the run game, so all of the dominoes have fallen in a way that leaves Pickett in the spotlight. Many were calling for a new offensive coordinator after last season, but one of the prevailing thoughts was the team didn’t want to install an entirely new offense on their young quarterback. They wanted him to be able to build off the promising end to his rookie campaign. That ship has sailed, so it’s time to truly examine what the Steelers do and do not have at the quarterback position for the future.
Schein finished, “I’m not remotely ready to pull the plug on Pickett. But I do acknowledge that his performance over the rest of this season is vital. Pickett needs to prove he’s at least part of the solution.”
