Kenny Pickett wants to be part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff push. Appearing on NFL Network’s pregame show Saturday, insider Ian Rapoport said Pickett is working hard to return for the team’s Week 16 game next Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. But given the nature and general timeline of his injury and tightrope ankle surgery, a Week 17 return versus the Seattle Seahawks is more likely.
“My understanding is he’s pushing to play next week,” Rapoport said. “Which would be incredibly quick, less than three weeks after tightrope surgery.”
Pickett was injured scrambling late in the first half during Week 13’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Already dealing with an ankle injury coming into the game, he left the game after being tackled and did not return. The following day, he underwent tightrope surgery for his high ankle sprain, an increasingly common procedure done to speed up recovery time. Our Dr. Melanie Friedlander broke it down here. Returning next Saturday, December 23, would mean he’ll face off against the Cincinnati Bengals, clinging to playoff hopes as backup QB Jake Browning has kept the offense viable. It would also mean a 19-day span for Pickett from surgery to playing in a game, an optimistic timetable.
It’s the second time Pickett has undergone this surgery. It happened in 2019 while at Pitt, missing a little over three weeks before returning. Rapoport says the odds are Pickett will be on a similar timeline this time around.
“My understanding is this is expected to be more like in college when he had tightrope surgery and played 26 days later. That would put him on track to play Week 17 against the Seahawks.”
Pittsburgh heads out west to play the Seahawks on New Year’s Eve, putting him exactly 26 days from surgery to gameday, just like in 2019. Pickett has suffered multiple injuries this year but has shown toughness to play sooner than many expect. And if Pittsburgh can secure victory today against the Indianapolis Colts, Pickett will have even more incentive to take the field next week. Ultimately though, it’ll be team doctors and Mike Tomlin making the call of when Pickett can get back out on the field.
