The Pittsburgh Steelers had a roller coaster of a season in 2023. They experienced a lot of adversity with key injuries on both sides of the ball throughout the season, but still managed to qualify for the playoffs after being given single-digit chances by several key analytics websites late in the season. On a roller coaster, the back seat experiences the many twists and turns of the ride more than anybody else. For the 2023 Steelers, QB Kenny Pickett was in that back seat.
Head coach Mike Tomlin discussed Pickett and the future of the quarterback position during his end-of-season press conference last Thursday.
“I’m extremely confident in him,” Tomlin said in a video of the conference posted on the Steelers’ YouTube page. “I feel stronger about some of the intangible things than I did obviously when we first started doing business with him because I have evidence of it. He’s highly competitive and professional. He doesn’t run from challenges, he runs to challenges. I think that’s evident in the way he plays, particularly at the end of close football games.”
Entering his second season, Pickett had a full offseason preparing as the starter. Hopes were high coming off a strong finish to his rookie season in which the Steelers won seven of the last nine games. Pickett showed a penchant for leading fourth-quarter comebacks which is a very positive trait for a quarterback to have, especially as a rookie.
He followed that with an excellent showing in the team’s three preseason games. He led five drives on offense and the Steelers scored touchdowns on all five of them.
That preseason success did not translate to the regular season as Pickett threw two interceptions in the Week One blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He protected the ball much better the rest of the season, but his production, and the overall production of the offense did not improve. Pickett finished the season with 12 starts, completing 201 passes on 324 attempts for 2,070 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. It was so bad that the Steelers made an unprecedented move for the organization, firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada following a Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Just two weeks later, Pickett suffered a high ankle sprain and subsequently had surgery to speed up the recovery process. The only issue is, by the time he came back QB Mason Rudolph had taken control of the starting job for good as he led the Steelers to three straight wins to end the regular season and qualify for the playoffs. There were unfounded rumors that Pickett refused to suit up as a backup, which he later denied, and for the final two games of the season he did serve as the primary backup.
Tomlin also stated there would certainly be competition for him, but as it stands right now Pickett is likely to be the Week One starter in 2024. Tomlin also told reporters that it was clear to Pickett from his end-of-season exit interview that it will be a huge year for him and his career.
Pickett was criticized heavily throughout the 2023 season, but Tomlin remained steadfast in his support. By all accounts, Pickett is highly involved in all of the team meetings and even sits in on defense and special team meetings so he has a full grasp of the Steelers’ game plan on any given week. His ability to lead fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives cannot be overlooked, either. In 24 career starts, he has six fourth-quarter comebacks. The leadership qualities and poise late in games are some of the intangibles that Tomlin continually cites in defense of Pickett.
“He’s got good framework to work with and for a young guy, he’s mature beyond his years,” Tomlin said. “I’m excited about him.”
