Was he or wasn’t he? That was the question about Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett once the team rolled out its inactives 90 minutes before Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Was Pickett healthy to play or was his ankle still bothering him enough that it made sense to sit him, not even opting to make designate him as the emergency/third quarterback?
Holding his weekly press conference with reporters Monday, Mike Tomlin confirmed that Pickett was healthy and cleared to play against the Seahawks but a lack of reps caused him to sit out entirely.
“Yes,” Tomlin said when asked if Pickett received medical clearance prior to the game. “That clarity didn’t come until later in the week. And it was about the distribution of reps and who was best prepared and positioned to help us win. And so that’s the direction that we went with.”
Mason Rudolph earned his second start, playing well and engineering points in a victory. For the second-straight week, Pittsburgh scored 30 or more points, something it hadn’t done in consecutive games since 2020. While Rudolph didn’t throw a touchdown pass and arguably wasn’t quite as sharp as in his performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, he still played a rock-solid game, making big-time throws and taking care of the football. Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t turned the ball over in either of the two games Rudolph’s gotten the nod.
Instead of Pickett, Mitch Trubisky served as Rudolph’s backup. Ultimately, it became a moot point, Rudolph stayed upright and the backup was never needed, let alone a potential emergency third-string option. Tomlin explained why Pickett wasn’t even designated as such, the Steelers opting not to take advantage of the new rule passed for 2023 after the San Francisco 49ers lost both their active quarterbacks in last year’s NFC Championship Game.
“The likelihood of that coupled with the risk in terms of what I didn’t see for him, it would’ve been been speculating,” Tomlin said. “And I’m just not into speculating.”
“Speculating,” presumably meaning he didn’t know what Pickett could do on the field if he had to step into action. Limited all week and ostensibly working only during individual sessions, Pickett hasn’t taken team reps since getting hurt on Dec. 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s unclear what type of practice reps Pickett will receive this week, though they won’t be with the starters. Tomlin also deflected when asked if Pickett would dress and be the No.2 this week.
“I don’t have a crystal ball. But I anticipate his availability being less of an issue this week,” he said. “We’ll see where the week leads us.”
Regardless of if he’s the No. 2 or No. 3, the outcome is the same. Pickett is healthy. Pickett has been benched. And it’s going to make for one heck of a conversation this offseason about the future of the position and how – and if – Pickett fits into it.
