NFL free agency hasn’t even begun, yet the Pittsburgh Steelers are already making noise. Yesterday, the Steelers met with former All-Pro QB Russell Wilson as they attempt to improve at quarterback or at least push QB Kenny Pickett to new heights.
If Pittsburgh signs Wilson once free agency kicks off this Tuesday, many will expect him to be gifted the starting role. But, Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac does not think that is the case, instead believing Pittsburgh will only guarantee a quarterback competition.
“Would they bring him in and say, ‘Okay, you’re the starter?’ No,” Dulac said on JRSportBrief. “But I don’t think there’s any question for him to come here he would have to have some guarantee that at the very least, [Pittsburgh said] ‘We’re gonna let you compete for this job, and if you’re the best man, you will be the guy.'”
Despite meeting with Wilson, the higher-ups in Pittsburgh, such as general manager Omar Khan and team president Art Rooney II, have expressed confidence and support for Pickett so it does track that the team wouldn’t want to just outright give another quarterback a starting job.
Pickett has never really had a true quarterback competition in his NFL career, and while the team said there was one during his rookie season, QB Mitchell Trubisky was always going to open the season as the starter. For Pickett, it could be good for him to have that competition, especially against Wilson, who has achieved plenty of accolades over his 12-year career.
However, according to Dulac, Pickett didn’t take the emergence of QB Mason Rudolph well last season, so seeing how Pickett reacts to a signing of Wilson, if it does happen, is something to watch and something the Steelers want to find out with the character of Pickett.
“He didn’t handle the whole Mason Rudolph thing at the end of last year very well,” said Dulac of Pickett. “So, I’m going to guess he’s probably not going to react very well if Russell Wilson comes in. But that’s all part of what they’re going to find out with Kenny Pickett.”
While Pickett may not have handled Rudolph playing over him after he got healthy well, it does make some sense that Pickett would be upset about losing his job to injury. At the same time, the hope is he was still a professional in the locker room and helped in the quarterback room. We obviously don’t know how everything went down in Pittsburgh over the last few weeks of the season, but if the Steelers sign Wilson Pickett, he has to be ready to compete and can’t be too upset like he may have been this past season.
Although Pickett has a good record as a starter, his play hasn’t been great. While he has shown flashes, such as the game against the Cincinnati Bengals this past season, Pickett has struggled to find the end zone in his first two seasons. In 25 games, Pickett has only thrown 13 touchdowns, which, simply put, is not good enough. In only 15 games last season, Wilson threw 26 touchdowns.
While touchdowns aren’t everything, and Pickett does some things like not turning the ball over well, the Steelers have to score more, and Wilson has shown that he can do that. While Wilson has other problems, such as not really targeting the middle of the field and not always throwing the football down the field, he does put the ball in the end zone.
According to Dulac, if Russell Wilson is signed, there will be a quarterback competition in Pittsburgh, and that may be the best scenario for both players and for the Steelers.
