The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have just one quarterback under contract for the 2024 season in Kenny Pickett. Even so, the former first-round draft pick will have some sort of competition in his room to beat out by the time training camp gets underway later this summer.
While we wait to see what that summer competition for Pickett will look like, veteran Steelers DT Cameron Heyward made it known during a Wednesday podcast interview that while he does support the team’s third-year quarterback moving forward, he also believes some good competition is needed at that position this offseason.
During his interview on the GoJo and Golic show on the DraftKings Network, Heyward was asked specifically if he thinks there’s a need for veteran competition to brought in to challenge Pickett and if the team still fully backs the former first-round selection.
“You know, I think both could be beneficial to us, whether it’s Kenny, us having support behind him, and then, I think competition breeds greatness,” Heyward said. “And at my position, you’ve got to have competition. At every position you’ve got to have competition. That’s how you get better. That’s how guys get pushed.
“Even when Ben Roethlisberger first got here, it wasn’t like he started right away. He had to earn the position. And that competition, we’ve got to have a little bit, especially after last year. I thought Mason Rudolph did a pretty good job coming in the last four games and really showing that competition. Whether they bring him back or not, there has to be competition in that quarterback room.”
That’s probably as good of an answer that Heyward could have given to the way that particular question was presented to him. After all, he showed both the support of Pickett and the need for him to be challenged this offseason in the same answer. He also made sure to highlight the job that QB Mason Rudolph did late last season with there still being a possibility that he re-signs in the coming weeks.
While there has been a ton of speculation from everyone and their brother these last several weeks when it comes to other quarterbacks that might possibly land in Pittsburgh, it’s just that at this point. All of that speculation aside, the Steelers, from an organizational standpoint, seem poised to give Pickett every opportunity to remain the team’s starter in 2024. Even so, we know for a fact that Pickett will have competition to face and beat out during the summer.
“We’ll have some strong competition there [at the quarterback position] and we’ll see where it goes,” Steelers GM Omar Khan said last week at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
Khan’s declaration of forthcoming competition for Pickett came on the heels of him saying the organization still has faith in their young quarterback.
“I have full faith in Kenny,” Khan told media members last week. “He’s shown us some good things. Obviously, there were some issues with the offense, and I’m excited about the impact that Arthur Smith’s going to have on him. Arthur’s very optimistic about Kenny.”
The start of the new league year can’t get here quick enough at this point mainly due to all of the talk and speculation revolving around the quarterback position. Within two weeks from today, Pickett should have some known competition in his position group room, and it will be interesting to see what that looks like. Will Rudolph be back in the room again? Will a veteran like Ryan Tannehill or Russell Wilson be in the room? What about current Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields, who many think the Steelers will trade for soon? Nobody knows the answers to any of those questions right now.
All we know for sure right now is that the Steelers are likely to open training camp with four quarterbacks under contract with Pickett being one of them. Yes, he will have competition, but the level of that competition that he will have pushing him is what we’re all waiting to find out. The Steelers certainly need whatever competition that is brought in to breed greatness, just like Heyward believes it will.
