A good portion of the fanbase and many in the media think Kenny Pickett will never blossom into a franchise quarterback, and it’s for logical reasons. The early results have not been promising. Pickett has a 13-13 touchdown-interception ratio in 25 career games and the lowest touchdown percentage in NFL history (1.8%, minimum 500 pass attempts).
On the flip side, there is the Matt Canada debacle that has to be considered. Canada was unqualified to be an offensive coordinator, which wasn’t beneficial for a young quarterback who needs proper guidance and direction.
Former Pitt safety and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick thinks Pickett wasn’t given a fair shot with Canada as his OC and the Pittsburgh Steelers are well aware of that. Pickett was set up for failure with Canada.
“I think they are aware of the fact that what Kenny was subjected to under Matt Canada is not what is going to allow him to develop into the quarterback that he needs to become in his third year,” Riddick said on Get Up Wednesday. “That’s why they went out and they got Arthur Smith and Arthur flew and met with Kenny Pickett going forward.”
Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are very loyal, sometimes loyal to a fault, keeping Canada for as long as they did is a prime example. For that reason, it appears that they’ll run it back with Pickett and see what he can do with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“I know in talking with Mike Tomlin, which has been many different times, he is someone who invests in people and he invests in them for the long haul,” Riddick said. “He is not gonna be swayed by what has happend in the two previous years, especially considering the fact that he knows Matt Canada wasn’t the guy.”
Riddick thinks Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan have done a good job building the roster, they just need Pickett to take that next step.
“Broderick Jones is gonna be an absolute animal at right tackle. They have got running backs, they’ve got wide receivers, they’ve got a tight end. Now they need this quarterback to take the next step. If it’s Kenny, great. I believe that they wish and they hope that it will be Kenny Pickett.”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reiterated on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers want a Kenny Pickett-Mason Rudolph competition at quarterback. He thinks Pittsburgh doesn’t have any interest in signing an external veteran quarterback with a desire to start.
“Last week in Indianapolis, one of the things I picked up from talking with people, this isn’t some bit from the Steelers and this fits with how they are,” Florio said. “They don’t go out and make a big splash in free agency. They try to groom the guys they have.”
Florio mentioned that the Steelers gave Terry Bradshaw five years to figure out how to play quarterback in the NFL and it worked. It’s just a part of the organization’s philosophy to be patient. But, there’s no doubt about it, this is a make-or-break year for Pickett. He has to show major strides in his development in Year 3.