Steelers Have ‘Fat Faith’ in QB Kenny Pickett Despite Struggles, GM Omar Khan Says
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett struggled all the method throughout the 2023 advertising and marketing campaign, however the franchise appears to be like to assemble no longer own any plan of replacing him sooner than the 2024 season.
“I even own fleshy religion in Kenny,” Steelers overall supervisor Omar Khan said on the NFL scouting mix Thursday, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “He’s shown us some factual things, and clearly there own been some disorders with the offense.
“I’m keen about the affect that [new offensive coordinator] Arthur Smith’s going to own on him. Arthur’s very optimistic about Kenny and besides they communicated, and love I said, we will have the chance to own some solid competition there and we will gaze the keep it goes. Feel if reality be told factual about him.”
Pickett’s struggles closing season weren’t fully his fault.
The 2022 first-round take handled an ankle rupture and become once by hook or by crook exiguous to 12 video games thanks to the ailment. He ended up present process TightRope surgical operation after a Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada also contributed to Pittsburgh’s offensive struggles, and he become once fired in November with Pittsburgh ranking 31st in yards and 31st in touchdowns to that time within the season.
Pickett done the year having executed 62 p.c of his passes for 2,070 yards and 6 touchdowns in opposition to four interceptions. He also rushed for 54 yards and one ranking.
Pickett is anticipated to place together a mighty greater 2023 advertising and marketing campaign below Smith, who become once hired as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator earlier this month after three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
While Pickett will seemingly proceed to be the crew’s starter in 2024, the Steelers aloof need to rep a backup. The franchise released Mitchell Trubisky earlier this month and Mason Rudolph is made up our minds free of payment company.
Rudolph started Pittsburgh’s final three video games of the 2023 season, leading the franchise to a 3-0 document to shut out the year. He executed 74.6 p.c of his passes for 716 yards and three touchdowns in that span.
Whether its Rudolph or one more quarterback, the Steelers are looking ahead to whichever participant they signal to give Pickett some competition for the initiating job getting into the 2024 season.
“(I) feel if reality be told factual about Kenny, but he is conscious of and all americans is conscious of that there’s going to be competition within the room, and we have continuously been a crew that retains three quarterbacks and I would demand of that to be the identical this year. So we will search in any appreciate avenues,” Khan said, per Dale Lolley of the crew’s web impart online.
