Mike Tannenbaum: Steelers’ Kenny Pickett ‘Doesn’t Have That Ability’
Kenny Pickett will report to training camp with the rest of the Steelers on Wednesday as the team looks to make a playoff push after missing out last year. However, not everyone is convinced that the Steelers will be able to make it to the playoffs, and Pickett might be the reason why for some of them.
Appearing on Get Up, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum was asked if he believed the Steelers and Kenny Pickett could make a push for the playoffs. However, he does not believe they do, and largely the reason is that Pickett can not power the offense to score more points.
“Nope, despite Mike Tomlin’s greatness,” Tannenbaum said. “Kenny Pickett really struggled getting the ball downfield. He was second worst in yards per pass attempt, and they have some really good receivers with Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and they picked up Allen Robinson. But when you’re going up against Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow every week, you’ve got to be able to score points in chunks and I just don’t think Kenny Pickett has that ability.”
It’s interesting because Pickett seems to be one of the more polarizing players this offseason. They can happen when the stat line is not that good and the tape started out just as bad. Pickett did get better as the season went on, though. He may not be as good as some of the offseason hyperbole says, but it is possible that he takes a palpable leap forward and can get the Steelers to the postseason.
It’s going to take a leap for Pickett to make the jump into the next tier of quarterbacks. For some guys it takes until Year 3 to make the jump, and Pickett could follow that rule more than he follows the second-year leap. But if he gets better inside the pocket, this season could be interesting to watch for Pickett.
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