Kenny Pickett is the future for the Steelers at the quarterback position, but they need him to help this team win now.
Kenny Pickett was the first-round selection by the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was their top quarterback on the board, and they got the choice of the class at the position. Now he joins a room of players that will be fighting for the starting spot for the offense that will be implementing Matt Canada’s plan more.
Mitch Trubisky was signed during free agency to have a legit shot at running this offense during the coming season. It was a cheap deal, but he has prior starting experience with some pedigree that comes with him. Mason Rudolph is still around and will be trying to fight his way back into relevancy by getting back into the starter conversation.
It will be a tough road for Pickett to start, but there are different scenarios where he could become the guy to get the nod on gamedays. He will need to earn his spot when it is all said and done, no matter his draft spot or age which could affect his development. He needs to be ready and play for this team soon.
Pickett wins the starting job out of Steelers training camp
The first scenario is one that could happen. It is too early to guess which quarterback will win the starting job coming out of training camp and the rest of the pre-season process. Right now, Mitch Trubisky is getting the reps with the top unit for the club and that makes sense.
Pickett will need to prove to his coaches that he knows the offense well enough that he can direct it down the field and be successful. That will have the best chance of happening during practice and games during the pre-season to catch the coach’s attention. Players show their best colors when they put the pads on in Latrobe.
Pickett could win the starting spot during the middle of the season
Many will remember the story of how Ben Roethlisberger finally gained the starting job for the Steelers after the start of the season. He would eventually get game time and keep his job from there for the next 18 seasons. It is in the realm of possibility that Kenny Pickett could be on the same track to getting the starting spot for Pittsburgh.
Mitch Trubisky does seem like the main guy at the starting position for the black and gold for right now. That could always change, but the team seems to be rallying around him. Not that they have anything bad to say about Pickett, but they have had a lot more time to bond and get to know the veteran.
He is known as an easy-going person with an infectious personality that helps him win people over. This league does not care if you are kind and caring, it matters if you win ball games. That is what Trubisky is shooting for and he will have to show that every week.
Mike Tomlin has constantly preached “competition” for his team ever since getting the Head Coaching job many years ago. That will always continue throughout the season and that could change the quarterbacks depending on their performance. They could alternate who earns the starting spot on a weekly basis depending on how they do in practice and during games.
Trubisky gets hurt and Pickett stays as the starter
As mentioned earlier, Roethlisberger did not win the starting job coming out of camp his rookie season. It was still Tommy Maddox claiming that role for the Steelers until he got injured during a game. That would spell the beginning of the end for Maddox and the start of a Hall of Fame career for Big Ben.
Injury is not being wished on anyone in this case as all signs point to Mitch Trubisky being a great person and teammate. It would seem oddly similar if both Roethlisberger and Kenny Pickett started their careers off on the same foot. This would mean that the rookie would not win the starting job out of camp, barring any injury during the pre-season.
Pittsburgh has done a solid job having three starting capable quarterbacks in their top three on the depth chart. Some will argue that Mason Rudolph is not starting caliber, and that is mostly true. He does have starting experience and will have the upper hand on knowing the playbook more than the other guys in the pre-season.
Depth is not a bad thing to have in case an injury does occur at some point in the year. It has happened many times before and it will continue to happen, especially with a newly formed offensive line. They could have some hiccups and that could lead to some big hits on the quarterback.
Pickett might have to wait a whole year before becoming the Steelers starter
The last scenario seems like it might not happen as Kenny Pickett needs playing time in his rookie year to develop further. He has a low ceiling so his potential seems to be mostly tapped out but getting the most out of him will require him to play in 2022. Mitch Trubisky will try his best to make sure that does not happen as he looks to rebound in his respective career.
Waiting an entire year before starting for the Steelers might be the worst-case scenario for Pickett and the long-term effect on the franchise. They need to know what this rookie will provide for their future even if it is in a limited number of games. That determination will be vital to knowing what kind of direction the club must go in.
As long as Trubisky performs at a winning rate or something that is satisfactory to the coaches, he will be the starter. They are paying him a decent rate to be here, and they figure that he will be the starter at least for the beginning of the season. That could last even longer based on his performance level.
Pickett is a young and talented player that should excel in this offense constructed by Matt Canada. He will need to earn every snap that he plays this year, and those will be hard to come by. The team could always play Pickett towards the end of the season if things start to go awry, and the club is losing.
The Steelers seem to have their next quarterback for the team, but when will he become the starter? There is no rush for Pickett to start but he is not getting any younger.