There are plenty of reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers will not pursue a big-name quarterback like impending free agent Russell Wilson or trade for Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields. That would mean the Steelers, as they have repeatedly said, will go into training camp giving every opportunity to QB Kenny Pickett to start in 2024.
CBS Sports Radio host Zach Gelb fully expects that to be the case, as he said on Tuesday’s episode of the Zach Gelb Show. He just doesn’t think that’s a good idea.
“I do believe they are going to afford him the opportunity to be the starting quarterback from the jump this year,” Gelb said. “This will be Kenny Pickett’s final season as the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don’t even think he should be afforded the opportunity to be the starting quarterback. You have to significantly upgrade that room.”
Gelb is far from the only person who feels that way. He even named those popular quarterbacks before adding a name from the draft. Gelb has Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. as his fourth-best quarterback in the draft and thinks he would be a good fit for the Steelers. He just has no faith that the Steelers will do anything big about the quarterback room this year.
“I have a zero amount of confidence that Mike Tomlin is going to go out there and get Justin Fields, he’s going to go out and get Russell Wilson, or he’s going to go out there and get Michael Penix Jr.,” Gelb said. “That’s a problem because all three of those guys would be an instant, and I mean instant upgrade over what you currently have.”
Tomlin has expressed his belief and support of Pickett since the season wrapped up. Some people question whether that’s just public relations, but Tomlin has been adamant about giving Pickett the best shot at starting next season. That frustrates and angers fans who feel like the Steelers are mired in mediocrity. The Steelers have been open about needing quarterbacks, though.
After all, the Steelers only have one quarterback under contract right now, and that’s Pickett. General manager Omar Khan has confirmed that he would like to bring Mason Rudolph back for 2024. However, Gelb and plenty of others would argue that the Steelers need a quality quarterback to best utilize the offensive talent. It would also help relieve the burden on the defense of having to play near-perfect to give the Steelers a chance to win games.
Gelb just doesn’t see it happening this year.
