We all know that Kenny Pickett wasn't playing great football prior to going down with an injury in Week 4 against the Houston Texans. Still, we all breathed a sigh of relief when NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed that it was only a bone bruise and a knee strain for the second-year quarterback.
The initial prognosis was a bit scarier. Some medical professionals speculated from their coaches at home that Pickett suffered a sprained MCL and a torn meniscus. While these injuries wouldn't have been season-ending, they certainly would have caused Pickett to miss at least several weeks -- possibly putting him on IR with a designation to return.
On Tuesday, however, ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported that the team expects Pickett to suit up in some capacity for Wednesday's practice. This is a big step in the right direction.
Today, we heard a rumor that, not only will Pickett be practicing this week, but he is expected to play against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, a source tells Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan.
From what I’ve heard. Expectation as of this morning is Kenny Pickett will play on Sunday vs the Ravens.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) October 4, 2023
Let's hope there's some truth to this. Based on how things have progressed so quickly this week, it's not hard to believe that Pickett could return to the field at Acrisure Stadium for an all-important divisional game this week.
Steelers need Kenny Pickett to stay on the field
Because of Pickett's poor performance early in the season, there has been a portion of the fanbase advocating for Mitch Trubusky, while others still believe Mason Rudolph should get another shot. However, it's clear to see at this point that it's Kenny Pickett or bust for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Trubisky is seven seasons into his NFL career and we know who he is at this point. Likewise, Rudolph is in year six and didn't have great traits to begin with. He's also older than Trubisky. Turning back to players who were never considered to be the answer seems like a waste of time.
Pickett might not be good, but the Steelers at least need to give him this year to figure things out. What we do know is that he's a QB early in his second season who only has one collective year of starting experience under his belt. If you separate him from OC Matt Canada (which the team may or may not do this year) we might be able to see a different player.
It's very important that Pickett stays healthy and available so that the team can make a determination on how to proceed beyond the 2023 season at the quarterback position. If this Steelers rumor is true, fans should be happy that he's on track to play. Maybe we can see some big improvements from Pickett yet.