Kenny Pickett is off to a hot start with the Philadelphia Eagles according to reports. It was a bitter end to the Pickett era with the Steelers after only a year and a half of him being the starter. Things changed rapidly this past offseason as Russell Wilson signed with the team and Pickett wanted out. The black and gold shipped him to the Eagles and then traded for Justin Fields to round out their quarterback room.
Pickett won't be pressing for the starting job, but reports have him making plays in practice.
Right now, the Eagles and Pickett seem to be in the honeymoon stage, much like the Steelers are with Wilson and Fields. They see Pickett as a guy who could be a solid backup quarterback who could become a starting NFL quarterback again. He is playing good ball right now at OTAs, but that does not mean he will keep up that level of play.
Pickett will have to beat out Tanner McKee for the second quarterback spot on the depth chart.
Just because Pickett has a first-round pedigree, it doesn't mean many teams around the NFL hold him as high of a standard as the Steelers did in that draft. He will have to earn the backup spot with the Eagles, which is a valuable role. With how often Jalen Hurts gets injured, it seems possible that Philadelphia's backup could start some games.
Don't get excited Eagles' fans, the Steelers traded Pickett for a reason
Eagles fans could be under the impression that they might have gotten a steal by acquiring Pickett from Pittsburgh. Don't get misguided as you get someone who is rather boring and can't win many games by himself. The Eagles have a quality roster, so that should help matters, but this quarterback is nothing special.
The Steelers did seem to fail Pickett with a terrible offensive coordinator. That might have limited his progression as a player. Their offense was so terrible that both the coordinator and quarterback commanding the offense have to be blamed equally. Things did not work out with the black and gold, and sometimes that happens.
A change of scenery might be the best outcome for Pickett moving forward.
Overreactions around the NFL are always happening this time of year as OTAs and minicamps litter the newsfeed. Pickett having strong showings in practice at this time of year might catch an eyebrow raise, but nothing more. You will only know how good he is once pads come on at training camp and if he plays snaps during the regular season.
Pickett put on a show last preseason only to dash Steelers fans' hopes during the regular season.
He was great during the preseason games last year, and the Steelers seemed ready for a breakout campaign. That failed to show up in the regular season and Pickett was a guy just trying not to lose contests. You get what you see with Pickett. A guy who might have a similar career trajectory as Mitch Trubisky. Someone who is a former first-round pick who failed and becomes a backup elsewhere.
Maybe Pickett can get another starting shot somewhere else if he can show some quality things with the Eagles, but he is nothing more than a backup level quarterback.