If 2022 was a preview of what is to come for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the future is bright. The Steelers were one of youngest teams in the NFL and despite some serious struggles in the first half of the season, rallied to nearly sneak into the playoffs.
Pro Football Focus put out one breakout candidate for every NFL team for next season and for the Steelers they went with the least surprising option, quarterback Kenny Pickett. Here’s what they had to say about Pickett:
Pickett’s numbers don’t look good this year, but his performance was consistently better than the statistical rewards it was reaping.
He finished the year with a PFF grade of 75.5 — a comparable number to that of Daniel Jones in New York — but Pickett threw just seven passing touchdowns to nine interceptions. Pittsburgh retaining its offensive coaching staff doesn’t make this any easier, but a step forward from Pickett should make those numbers take a big jump.
To expand on the PFF grade, here is some context for just how much Pickett improved. From Week 12 on, Pickett was the second-highest-graded quarterback with a grade of 90.1. The only quarterback graded higher was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
In an AFC dominated by the top teams and top quarterbacks, Pickett must have a breakout season if the Steelers want to contend next season.
