It's been a winding road for former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. Since being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles before the start of the 2024 season, he has been traded two more times. First, it was to the Cleveland Browns to compete for their starting QB opening, then to the Las Vegas Raiders to replace backup Aidan O'Connell.
When the usual starting QB, Geno Smith, went down with a knee injury in Week 14, Pickett played well in relief against the tough Broncos defense. With Smith out this week against the Eagles, the 2022 first-round pick had an opportunity to show teams he still has upside as a potential starting QB.
Instead, Pickett proved to the world that the Steelers were right to move on from him when they did.
Kenny Pickett gets shut out against the Eagles in Raiders starting debut
Pickett put up some awful stat lines while a member of the Steelers, but his numbers against the Eagles on Sunday make them look gaudy. He finished 15 of 25 passing for just 64 yards, and he also threw an interception. His 64 yards were the fewest of his career in a game where he threw at least 10 passes.
His 2.6 yards per attempt in this game is one of the lowest for any QB who threw at least 25 passes this decade. The Eagles' defense is one of the best in the NFL, but this is an inexcusable performance from even a backup QB.
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Pickett even had the added advantage of getting to practice against this defense last season, so you would think he could offer some amount of insight into how to exploit them. Clearly, though, the defense knew more about him than he knew about them.
With O'Connell now healthy, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the nod over Pickett in Week 16 against the Texans. I don't know how head coach Pete Carroll can watch what he did and have any confidence in him against Houston's top-ranked defense.
He has consistently shown that he has no real upside as a passer, and now he even struggles to look like a solid backup. Being a former first-round pick definitely helps his chances of sticking around for a while, but that only goes so far.
It's not like O'Connell has much more of a chance to succeed, but he has at least shown some flashes in the past when given an opportunity to play. If Pickett does get another chance, however, it could be his last as a starter in the NFL.