On the latest episode of the All Things Covered podcast with former Pittsburgh Steelers CB Bryant McFadden and his cousin, current Steelers CB Patrick Peterson, the two of them discussed the Steelers quarterback situation in 2024. In particular, Peterson, who said he wants Pickett as the team’s starter in 2024, broke down Pickett’s biggest weakness, which is retreating too much under pressure and allowing himself to get sacked. He compared that with Rudolph, who showed the ability as a starter to routinely stay and step up in the pocket and make throws.
“Mason is not afraid to take chances as a quarterback. Pushing the ball down the field, he’s gonna stand in the pocket, he’s not afraid to take that pressure. I think what hurts Kenny is, and I think we talked about this off-camera, is he [retreats] too much, so he makes it easier for guys to get him. He [retreats] too much and it makes easier for him to get corraled in the pocket. And it makes the defender’s job that much easier because now he can’t set up into his throw and deliver the ball with the right amount of velocity that he needs to.”
He said that was the biggest difference between Rudolph and Pickett.
“That’s why you saw a big difference on the offense, because we was basically running the same stuff. Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, take our shots, run a couple slants. The difference was that Mason had the ability to stand strong in the pocket and deliver those balls, take those shots.”
Pickett far too often had a tendency to spin back into pressure and allow himself to get sacked or his throws affected by pressure. It’s a common mistake for young quarterbacks, but with Pickett being older for being in his second season, it’s something that shouldn’t happen as often as it does. Rudolph was a lot more poised and able to deliver throws and hang in the pocket to make the throws he had to make, and that allowed him to have more accuracy and more success when it came to pushing the ball downfield.
Pickett didn’t take a ton of chances and it kept his turnovers down, but the offense was a whole lot better with Pickett under center. Peterson wasn’t really taking a shot at Pickett, as he reiterated what he said on the podcast last week that he truly belives that Pickett is the guy, but it’s a fair criticism of his game. He did say that he believes Pickett can make all the throws he needs to make to succeed.
“Kenny can make all the throws. And sometimes that can be a blessing and a curse, because Kenny don’t turn the ball over, he don’t put the team in harm’s way as far as putting a defense on the short side of the field. So that’s a plus, but I think what he has to do this offseason, is he has to stand strong in the offense.
I’m sure it’s something that Pickett has been working on, as it’s a flaw that really anyone watching the Steelers can see. Ben Roethlisberger brought up the issue on his Footbahlin’ podcast earlier this year as well, and it’s clear it’s one of his biggest issues and one of the main things holding him back from being a productive NFL quarterback.
Rudolph is a pending free agent, and he might not be back with the Steelers next season. The team will bring in somebody to compete with Pickett, and if he can’t show growth and improve his pocket presence, he’s going to have a short leash, if he even wins the job. I think the team wants to give him an opportunity, but his lack of awareness in the pocket was something that really stood out last season as a major flaw, and clearly his teammates want to see him fix it.
The conversation surrounding the Steelers quarterback position is going to carry on throughout the offseason, but the only thing we can say for sure is Pickett has to be better. Cleaning up his pocket awareness is going to be one of the biggest keys to getting him to improve, and if he does, his performance will take a jump. If he can’t, his time as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback is going to run out quickly.
