Steelers news: Terry Bradshaw on Kenny Pickett, trade-up in mock draft, and more

It's the calm before the storm in the NFL. There hasn't been much going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers or the league in general, but that's about to change. The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is on the horizon, and free agency will be soon to follow as the legal tampering period opens on March 11th.

For Steelers fans, the news cycle has been cluttered with rumors and speculation regarding the quarterback position --namely around Kenny Pickett and the likelihood of Pittsburgh trading for Bears QB Justin Fields.

Now we get news that is a bit more concrete. A Hall of Famer bluntly shared his thoughts on Pickett and Pittsburgh's quarterback situation, while Omar Khan traded up for a quarterback in a recent NFL mock draft. Here's the latest Steelers news.

Terry Bradshaw urges Steelers to 'stay with' Kenny Pickett

Though a majority of the Steelers' fanbase may be turning against Pickett -- who has seen very little production in his first two NFL seasons -- former Steelers quarterback and Hall of Famer, Terry Bradshaw, is not ready to turn the page on the former first-round pick.

Recently, Bradshaw joined The Rich Eisen Show where he pleaded with the team to keep Pickett as their starting quarterback in 2024.

"I love Pickett. I know him well, and he's fiercely competitive. He's a tough-minded kid. Things don't bother him. I really like him a lot. I'm going to say this for the 10,000th time this year. Surround not only Kenny, but any of these young quarterbacks — [Justin Fields] with the Bears — surround them with talent. Why is [Brock] Purdy successful with the 49ers? Look at all that talent, and look at that coach [Kyle Shanahan] calling plays. And that kid's got the poise. Kenny has the poise. I just want my quarterback to be poised."

Terry Bradshaw via The Rich Eisen Show

Bradshaw professes to know Pickett well and vouches for his competitive character and mental toughness. The Steelers legend also insists that Kenny needs to be surrounded by talent to see the success the team is hoping for.

The counterargument here is that Mason Rudolph performed notably better in the final three games of the season with the same talent surrounding him. The Steelers seem likely to stick it out with Pickett for at least one more season if they don't make a play for a significant upgrade in 2024.

NFL mock draft has Steelers trading up for a QB

In a recent NFL mock draft from CBS Sports, Tom Fornelli has the Pittsburgh Steelers trading up from pick 20 to pick 9 to select Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. The 20-year-old quarterback is still fairly raw, but he has a phenomenal record in college and his junior season was capped off with a national championship title.

This trade would be a bit shocking, considering the recent first-round investment Pittsburgh made at quarterback and knowing that they don't give up on high draft picks quickly. However, it wouldn't be the first time they made a big trade-up in the draft.

In 2019, Kevin Colbert moved from pick 20 to pick 10 to draft linebacker Devin Bush. Quarterback is a more important position, and Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl have shown that they are willing to be aggressive when it comes to trading in the draft. They traded up three spots in the first round for Broderick Jones in their first NFL Draft running the front office.

Patrick Peterson criticizes Pittsburgh's 'stagnant' offense in 2023

On the All Things Covered Podcast with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson, the former and current defensive back didn't have a lot of kind things to say about Pittsburgh's offense in 2023. Peterson, who was a starting CB on the Steelers last year and is still under contract in 2024, pointed the finger at the play-caller and questioned what Matt Canada was doing.

Peterson went on to call the offense 'super stagnant', and criticized Canada for doing nothing to exploit the defense. While doing so, Peterson seemed to be subtly defending second-year QB Kenny Pickett.