Will Russell Wilson and Kenny Pickett legitimately compete for the Steelers’ starting quarterback job?
Steelers fans are gun-shy when they hear the word “competition”. Not because they fear competition but because they question the competitiveness of previous billed competitions. Head coach Mike Tomlin said they are going to bring in competition at quarterback this offseason, but did they? Is Russell Wilson Kenny Pickett’s challenger, or is he his replacement?
Nominally, most believe the Steelers intend to frame this as a true competition, will it be competitive? Will it be an open competition, which gives Wilson and Pickett a roughly equal chance of winning? Their quarterback competition in 2022 was not open in that sense, though they also never claimed it was unweighted.
The Steelers obviously want Pickett to develop into a franchise quarterback, but Wilson provides a fallback option for this season. Wilson has a Hall of Fame resume, while Pickett has…seven game-winning drives, I guess. And they have similar interception rates, I suppose.
It’s true that the former Seahawk star’s reputation is not what it used to be—just ask Sean Payton. This isn’t exactly teams lining up to give away three first-round picks for Deshaun Watson, who is a much worse human being and possibly not even a better quarterback right now.
But Wilson is clearly far more accomplished than Pickett, both historically and recently. Wilson threw 26 touchdown passes in 2023, twice as many as Pickett has in his entire career. The biggest thing this team lacks is offensive scoring, and Wilson threw for the third-highest touchdown percentage last year.
I’m willing to buy that the Steelers still “believe” in Pickett, whatever that exactly entails. But they’re clearly not handing him anything; the question is what they’re handing Wilson. How many first-team reps will Pickett get during the offseason, for starters?
As with 2022, the new quarterbacks need reps. Wilson is the new quarterback this time and Pickett is the veteran, although they’re both learning a new system. Arthur Smith as the new offensive coordinator could be the equalizing factor there. They’re still figuring out exactly what offense they’re running, and whichever quarterback looks better will help to shape that.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
