It doesn’t look like Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett will become the next elite-level quarterback. That alone makes it tough to win a Super Bowl. The alternative path is building a great roster in the hopes Pickett becomes a good quarterback as opposed to the great quarterback/good roster approach other teams can take.
In essence, the Steelers are taking a stroll down Brock Purdy Lane. To Rich Eisen, that’s the team’s calculation of why they’d roll into 2024 potentially with a similar quarterback room as they did in 2023, one consisting of Pickett and Mason Rudolph, who the team hopes to re-sign.
On Monday’s episode of the popular segment turned podcast The Overreaction Monday Podcast, producer Chris Brockman asked Eisen if it’s an overreaction to say the Steelers are “insane” for potentially running things back with Pickett and Rudolph.
“Insane is a tough word,” Eisen said. “But I understand why fans are going to be like, ‘We need our own Mahomes. And [Pickett] ain’t it.’ But what if he’s the Purdy?”
Purdy lacks the elite physical tools the upper-echelon quarterbacks possess. Namely, the Mahomes’, Josh Allen’s, and Lamar Jackson’s. But he’s efficient in an offense built with outstanding talent, and a sound scheme makes them potent. In that world, Purdy put up big numbers, posting more than 4,200 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2023. At his current pace, it’ll take Pickett three more seasons to beat Purdy on the touchdown number alone. But the Steelers’ goal is to build around Pickett while building him up along the way, hoping a strong running game, stout defense, and eliminating mistakes is a winning formula.
Ultimately, Eisen said it would be an overreaction to call the Steelers insane for their apparent plan. Though intrigued by the idea of adding Justin Fields, he sees a pitfall in having Pickett back him up.
“Trading a night two pick for Justin Fields, who will have to be hired and make a fifth-year option decision within two months of hiring him. Then you’ve got Pickett on his first contract, too. And then what are we going to do here? You’ve got Pickett sitting here. What, are you going to have Fields looking over his shoulder because the favorite son from two years ago is on a rookie contract, too?”
If the team were to make a massive move and land Fields, the book would be closing on Pickett. And the Steelers should explore trading him. Otherwise, there will be a level of awkwardness in the locker room that doesn’t need to exist and finding a veteran backup behind Fields wouldn’t be terribly difficult to do. But that’s a moot point until and unless Fields actually arrives in Pittsburgh.
If the Steelers roll with Pickett, it’s for one reason. They want to see him work with a new offensive coordinator. Someone like Arthur Smith. Experienced, a good resume as an OC, respected around the league. Most of firing Matt Canada mid-season was to evaluate Pickett under a new coach, an opportunity they lost when Pickett went down with an ankle injury six quarters later. If Pickett can show new signs of life under Smith, then Canada will be proven as the source of the issues. If not, then it’ll fall on Pickett, and he’ll be replaced as the starter in 2025. That’s the calculation for keeping him in pole position on the quarterback depth chart.
As for Rudolph, they want a professional veteran, someone the team knows well and can make for a true competition, neither one so dramatically better than the other (Rudolph is arguably the better QB right now, but if listed out the top QBs in football, the two would be separated by only a few spots). Bringing in Fields, Russell Wilson, or Kirk Cousins means they have to start, eliminating competition. That’s their approach, though it’s highly debatable if it’s the right one.
