While the Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting at 5-3 and in position to make the playoffs if the season ended today, it’s not because of the play of their offense. In particular, QB Kenny Pickett has struggled to be consistently good this season, despite showing flashes of what he can be. While Pickett’s had his share of struggles, ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick said on Get Up! this morning that he still thinks Pickett can be the Steelers’ long-term answer at quarterback.
“It’s not just a Kenny Pickett issue. We know this. I still think he can be the long-term [guy]. There’s other things that are layered underneath Kenny, or side-by-side with Kenny, that need to be addressed,” Riddick said. “We all know what they are. So look, it’s real popular to kind of really knock on Kenny right now and say he’s not the dude, ’cause it’s almost like quarterbacks suck or they’re great. Either they suck or their going to the Hall of Fame. It’s not like that and we know it’s not like that, but we do it all the time. Yeah, I still think he can be the answer.”
It seems as if Riddick is alluding to offensive coordinator Matt Canada as one of the issues holding Pickett back. While no one can say Canada’s done a good job since taking over as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season, he’s called good games the last two weeks, particularly in Week Nine against the Tennessee Titans. Against the Titans, Pickett once again turned it on during the fourth quarter, but he was inconsistent throughout the first three, missing open receivers and not making the throws a starting NFL quarterback should. That’s not on Canada.
Pickett’s now started 20 games in his career, and the jury is still out on whether he’s a true franchise quarterback. There’s no question that the Steelers can win with him, but how much can they win really becomes the question. He’s not the Steelers’ franchise quarterback if they’re a team that’s going need to rely on a really good defense and squeak out nine, maybe 10 wins every season.
There’s time for sure when he’s hamstrung by Canada, but that hasn’t been the case over the last few weeks. There’s also the issue of an inconsistent offensive line and run game that should really be better than it is. Given that Pickett doesn’t have two full seasons of starts under his belt, it’s really tough to say one or another whether he’s the guy to lead the Steelers’ franchise for the next decade.
The rest of this season will go a long way toward determining whether Pickett can take a jump from below-average to average quarterback to a guy the Steelers trust to deliver Lombardi No. 7. The fact he’s already shown his clutch gene, with seven drives to take the lead or win the game in the fourth quarter, is positive. He just has to show he can put a full game together and do so consistently. If he proves he can do that, then the Steelers will know if he’s their guy or not.
