The Pittsburgh Steelers have answered plenty of questions this offseason with the roster moves they have made. But for all the moves the team has made, none of it is going to matter if the team doesn’t get a big season out of quarterback Kenny Pickett.
ESPN pondered the biggest quarterback question for every team and for the Steelers, they wonder if Pickett is the long-term answer at quarterback. Here’s a bit of what they had to say about it.
Did you know that, over the second half of the 2022 season, Pickett went 6-2 and ranked eighth in the NFL in Total QBR? Well, I didn’t until I just looked it up. He wasn’t particularly dazzling during this stretch — a 59.4 completion percentage and just five touchdown passes over that stretch aren’t the kinds of numbers that get them to bust out the chisels in Canton. But it would be silly to say he didn’t show progress as the season went on.
They point out the only thing the Steelers did for Pickett in the offseason was to add wide receiver Allen Robinson. But this isn’t true at all. The Steelers completely re-tooled the left side of the offensive line with offensive tackle Broderick Jones and guard Isaac Seumalo. They also added tight end Darnell Washington who is essentially a sixth offensive lineman who can work as a huge pass catcher as well.
Pittsburgh should get an excellent look at what Pickett’s ceiling is this season and determine how to approach the offense long-term.
