One day after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Omar Khan stated that he has “full faith” in third-year quarterback Kenny Pickett and that he wants Mason Rudolph back, it turns out those comments aren’t just GM speak.
Based on interviews with a number of the 14 quarterbacks at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week, the Steelers haven’t met with any of them. That includes potential targets such as Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and more.
According to Steelers Depot’s own Jonathan Heitritter, Ross McCorkle and Joe Clark, all of whom are in Indianapolis reporting from the Combine, the Steelers have not met with any of the quarterbacks.
After spending some time with the likes of Florida State’s Jordan Travis and Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed at the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl and Rattler, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Tulane’s Michael Pratt at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, it’s not all that much of a surprise that the Steelers aren’t using formal meetings on those quarterbacks again at the Combine.
But does that say something about where the Steelers are headed this offseason at the most important position in the sport? It should.
It seems very unlikely as we sit here today that the Steelers are going to be in the QB market early on the 2024 NFL Draft in late April. The decision not to meet with the quarterbacks at the Combine aligns with public comments that Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin and team president and owner Art Rooney II have made this offseason regarding Pickett and the team’s quarterback situation.Â
There is still great internal belief in Pickett even after coming off of a poor 2023 season that ultimately saw him benched late in the season for Rudolph even after Pickett was fully healthy. That belief remains because the Steelers still see a franchise quarterback in Pickett, one who has the skill set to win games and compete for championships, especially with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith now in the mix.
Pickett’s skill set matches what Smith likes at quarterback, and the latter spoke highly of Pickett ahead of the Steelers-Falcons matchup in 2022 during Pickett’s rookie season.
Along with the belief in Pickett from the key decision makers within the organization, the Steelers have stated multiple times that they want Rudolph to return and compete for the starting job, too, though that is entirely up to the sixth-year veteran, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency in two weeks.
If Rudolph signs elsewhere, the Steelers will be in the veteran free agent market, pursuing the likes of Ryan Tannehill, Jacoby Brissett, or even Gardner Minshew II. None would be viewed as true starting threats to Pickett, though one of them could come in and push Pickett in a “competition” like the Steelers want at the position.
What is becoming increasingly clear though is that the Steelers won’t be adding a quarterback early in the 2024 NFL Draft to potentially push or replace Pickett.
Maybe the Steelers take a flier on a quarterback late in the draft in the sixth or seventh round, something the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac stated he believed would happen a few weeks ago. But anything higher than that seems unlikely as we sit here today in the beginning of March, simply based on the Steelers not meeting with quarterbacks at the Combine.
Of course, that could all change in the weeks ahead with Pro Days and official visits to the Steelers’ facility, but the Steelers have remained steadfast in their public support of Pickett and desire for Rudolph to return. A quarterback drafted relatively high in the draft doesn’t align with their comments.
