The Pittsburgh Steelers traded QB Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles last week after just two years with the team, charting a new course at quarterback with Russell Wilson and then Justin Fields after acquiring the latter via trade. While former Steelers running back and current analyst Merril Hoge thinks Fields has some potential with the right coaching, he’s quite bullish on Pickett’s chances in the league. Appearing on the DVE Morning Show earlier today, Hoge defended Pickett and said he thinks he can be a really good NFL quarterback.
Hoge said if the Steelers can get Fields to hunker down and develop him in one system instead of with multiple offensive coordinators and take away some of the rawness that he still has as a quarterback, he could be a “very, very good quarterback in the National Football League.” He quickly added, “but I still believe that about Kenny Pickett.”
Hoge continued his defense of Pickett by praising his accuracy and processing.
“When I look at Kenny Pickett, it’s like well, he doesn’t have a big arm. Gosh dang it, neither did Tom Brady and neither did Joe Montana. What they did have is they were accurate, they were good processors, which Kenny is both of those things,” Hoge said. “And I do believe Kenny is a great leader too. I’ve watched Kenny in action when nobody was watching him. Meaning how he acted as he should on [the] team, and I think he just has great potential.”
First, let’s get the elephant out of the way. Comparing Kenny Pickett to Tom Brady and Joe Montana in the same breath in any measure is absolutely ludicrous. Pickett has thrown 13 touchdown passes in 25 games. Brady threw 18 his first season he took over as a starter and won a Super Bowl. Pickett is not even close to those two, and I couldn’t believe it when I heard that come out of Hoge’s mouth.
Pickett’s accuracy was a plus his rookie year, but he took a step back last season in that department. And frankly, I don’t necessarily think his processing was all that great either. He bailed out of clean pockets and often missed open receivers, but he did do a good job of making the safe throws to limit turnovers, even if it happened too often and he played too safe at times.
I do believe that the Steelers did want to keep Pickett and at least give him a shot, even if it was a very limited one, to compete with Wilson and at least serve as an experienced backup they could trust if Wilson went down or struggled. From the team’s perspective, Pickett’s attitude in handling the Wilson trade was grounds to trade him, and I don’t think that trading him was really part of the Steelers’ initial plan when they signed Wilson. But at this point, through two seasons as an older rookie, Pickett just wasn’t inspiring a lot of confidence that he could really be the guy. That’s why the Steelers made the move to grab Wilson and give them a chance to win now with a defensive core that’s not getting any younger.
Pickett could develop more and potentially become a solid starter. But it’s going to be tough to prove behind Jalen Hurts in Philly, and the career backup path seems more likely at this point. Ultimately, I don’t think the Steelers made the wrong decision moving on, but we’ll see how it works out in this new era with Wilson and Fields.
