The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a mess on the offensive side of the football for the better part of two seasons. They started to see the unit unravel in the swan song season of Ben Roethlisberger, and the offense has managed to hit a new level of low in 2022 and 2023, being one of the worst units in all of football during that time.
There have been many factors playing into Pittsburgh’s struggles on offense. They include the poor scheme implemented by former OC Matt Canada, who is no longer with the team, as well as poor execution by multiple players. However, one clear issue that Pittsburgh has dealt with on offense pertains to the quarterback position, specifically Kenny Pickett’s lack of development.
Pickett has flashed at times in his first two seasons in the league, leading fourth-quarter comebacks and completing game-winning drives, coming up in the clutch when Pittsburgh needed it most. However, Pickett appears to have taken a step back in his second season, displaying a lack of poise in the pocket as well as struggling to find his receivers downfield in the passing game.
NBC’s Peter King appeared on The Cook & Joe Show Tuesday and was asked about Pickett and whether Pittsburgh should explore looking for his replacement in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Let’s say Bo Nix is there when the Steelers pick and they love Bo Nix,” King said on The Cook & Joe Show. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea to take him at all. But I think the overriding thing that I would do, that I would make absolutely sure that I did is to tell Kenny Pickett, ‘Your career as a Steeler isn’t over. You now are going to have to fight for your job. I have no preconceived notions. Let the best quarterback win. We did not draft this quarterback to absolutely play over you. We drafted this quarterback to create the best competition that we could at the most important position in sports.’
“I’ll just say this, if Kenny Pickett can’t take it, then he’s not your guy. He just isn’t your guy. And so, I wouldn’t shy away from that. And look, with as many good quarterbacks as there are in this draft, think about this. There’s gonna be one wherever the Steelers pick, let’s just say that they pick at 45… there’s going to be one in the second round there, too. So, who knows what’s going to happen and who knows how they stack these quarterbacks in order on their draft board, but I would not shy away from picking one.”
The saying goes in the NFL that if you have two quarterbacks, you really have none. Meaning, that if Pittsburgh invests high draft capital on a quarterback in the draft rather than drafting a player to help Pickett, that player better be Pittsburgh’s replacement plan for Pickett rather than some “friendly competition” to put pressure on him to play better.
When it comes to the 2024 quarterback draft class, there are plenty of talented ones that may be there for Pittsburgh in the first two rounds. Guys like Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of UNC, and Jayden Daniels of LSU could all well be gone by the time Pittsburgh picks somewhere in the middle of the first round as we sit here today.
Still, Michael Penix Jr. from Washington, J.J. McCarthy from Michigan, and Nix from Oregon could all realistically be there for the Steelers to take where they will likely be slotted should they want to move on from Pickett. Nix, a the fifth-year senior, transferred from Auburn to Oregon before the 2022 season and has enjoyed two stellar seasons in Eugene, throwing for 4,145 yards and 40 touchdowns to just three interceptions while completing 77.2% of his passes this season.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has stood by Pickett every chance he’s gotten, and Pickett hasn’t been given a fair shot to show that he can play well outside of Canada’s system with a competent coordinator. He has also dealt with several injuries the last two seasons. Still, the results have left a lot to be desired, Pickett having averaged 2,237 passing yards and 6.5 passing touchdowns in his first two seasons. This isn’t to say that he can’t improve, but Steeler Nation is growing impatient for their offense to improve, and with Canada out of town, Pickett is the new man under the microscope.
