After back-to-back victories, Pittsburgh Steelers fans were hoping for a third consecutive result in Week 4. Instead, for the second time in just four weeks, the team failed to show up. This time, it was on the road against the Houston Texans. When speaking after the game, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin made it clear that changes would be made after another dismal performance.
For fans, quarterback Kenny Pickett didn't exactly inspire much confidence in the offense. To make things worse, he got hurt in the third quarter, which brought veteran Mitch Trubisky in for the remainder of the game. It seems like Pickett will miss some time, but luckily, it shouldn't be a season-ending issue. On ESPN's First Take on Monday morning, former NFL great, Shannon Sharpe made his feelings known about Pickett.
"Whatever the answer is, if Kenny Pickett is the answer, the question is wrong. If you're talking about long-term solution, he's not it. That offensive line? That ain't it. Matt Canada gotta go. RC [Ryan Clark], I'm sorry, y'all need to be in the market for another quarterback because Kenny Pickett ain't it."
Despite his uninspiring box score statistics as a rookie, many believed that Pickett had shown enough in 2022 to prove that he was the guy in Pittsburgh. He had shown the traits of being a leader, something the offense needed since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. That still proves to be true, as he was named one of the team's four captains ahead of 2023.
Furthermore, he did show some improvements as the season went on, specifically eliminating his early-season issue of turning the ball over. Throughout the summer, there were rave reviews about his supposed improvement. That translated to the three-game preseason tour, as he was perfect in limited action. So what all went wrong? Maybe everyone overestimated him a bit much.
Should Steelers Look At Quarterback In 2024 NFL Draft?
He's still just 16 starts into his NFL career, so he still has time to turn things around. Not everyone becomes a star right away, just ask Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen. The trajectory isn't encouraging though, and several around the league have began to recognize it. That not only includes a guy like Sharpe, who is an NFL legend in his own right, but defenses like the Texans and San Francisco 49ers.
First Take's panel, which included Sharpe, Clark, and Stephen A. Smith on Monday, all were in unanimous agreement on the Steelers' disaster. Pickett isn't the only problem, as they all advocated for the removal of Canada as the team's offensive coordinator. In a stat pointed out by Smith, under Canada, the Steelers offense has yet to have a 400-yard game. In comparison, the next closest NFL team has four games of that caliber in that span.
When you have not one, but two blowouts in the first few weeks of the season, everyone is to blame. The offense didn't do any better with Trubisky under center either, as he went 3-for-5 (60%) for just 18 yards. In an opportunity to improve to 3-1 and stay atop the AFC North, the Steelers fell flat on their face on Sunday. A loss is never fun, but getting embarrassed like that on the road isn't acceptable.
As of now, the Steelers are still projected to pick in the early-20s of the 2024 NFL Draft. By then, the Steelers will need to figure out if Pickett is their guy moving forward. The 2022 first-rounder has shown few signs of improvement, which causes room for concern moving forward. In a quarterback-loaded draft class in 2024, the Steelers may miss out on their opportunity if they don't decide quickly.
Do you still have optimism that Pickett can be a franchise guy moving forward? If he's not, do you have confidence in the Steelers organization to move on and find a true franchise quarterback?
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