Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is only his second year as a starter, but could find himself in a precarious position if he continues to struggle this season.
Drafted in the first-round of the 2022 class to replace the legendary Ben Roethlisberger, Pickett was seen as a risky pick heading to the league, after four below average years at the local college, Penn State, before an excellent final season - throwing 42 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.
The quarterback had also been much older than other prospects, and is now 25 years old heading into his second season, coming off the back of a rookie year in which he showed glimpses but ultimately flattered to deceive.
Throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, Pickett will need to prove much more than he had last season. Not just for his sake in maintaining his spot too, but to take the Steelers where they believe they are truly capable of - competing for a Super Bowl.
And fellow defensive star, eight-time All-Pro Peterson somewhat added pressure on to Pickett, being fully confident in what the defence will bring, while having all the weapons on offense to be a successful team this season. Speaking on the Jim Rome Show, Peterson said: "What it’s going to come down to is we have all the pieces that we need on defence.
"We know defence wins championships. We have talent across the board on the offensive side of the ball. I believe the front office did a great job of getting what we needed in the draft as far as getting Broderick [Jones] in the first round, a left tackle, young pup who you should expect to see play a lot.
"You added Allen Robinson, you got Diontae Johnson, you got George Pickens, you got Najee Harris. You know it’s all going to come down to how well Kenny can play and can he put the ball where it needs to go.
"I believe he is a guy that we can rely on, a guy that we can count on. Now it’s all going to fall on him if he can go out there and show us what he’s capable of doing."
Steelers' best player on the team, TJ Watt, backed up those quotes by Peterson, speaking highly of the defensive unit that they will have - with the onus being on Pickett to improve the team.
Speaking on Roethlisberger's podcast, Watt said: "I think it’s still too early to have a true sense of ‘This is the year,’ because they always say you don’t want to be the guy who’s just crushing it with no pads on — you don’t really know the personality of everybody yet.
"So it’s too early for that, but I’m very encouraged with the direction we’re going, especially on the defensive side of the ball, which is what I can speak for. Guys are flying around, having a lot of fun, communicating and making a lot of those splash plays, and that’s all you can really ask for this time of year."
After extending two back-ups to new contracts in Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph - quarterbacks who have multiple starts in their careers, the Steelers will not be afraid to turn to them should Pickett struggle throughout the first few games of the season.
