QB Kenny Pickett: Steelers 'have high expectations in that building'

Unless just about every insider and analyst touching upon the subject ahead of July is wrong, it seems that free-agent acquisition Mitchell Trubisky will enter September as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers over backup Mason Rudolph and first-round draft selection Kenny Pickett. In fact, it's widely believed Pickett would be behind Rudolph on the depth chart and inactive if the Steelers had to play a game today.

Fortunately for the rookie, he still has time to impress head coach Mike Tomlin and others during training camp sessions and August preseason games before a quarterback order is finalized. Per Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports, Pickett explained during a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" how those inside of the Pittsburgh locker room aren't thinking even a little bit about rebuilding following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger.

"We have high expectations in that building," Pickett remarked. "They've been an unbelievable franchise since this really started, so I just want to continue that greatness."

Pickett credited Tomlin and former general manager Kevin Colbert for helping to build a culture of winning that goes beyond any one player, even a franchise legend such as Roethlisberger.

"I'm next to Cam Heyward, and Connor Heyward, his younger brother, is next to him. So we're kind of in that little corner," Pickett added during his comments. "I've talked to Ryan Shazier. Cam Sutton has been awesome. Obviously, T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick. ... It's just a great place to work. Every time I walk in there, I'm excited to be there and you can tell everyone's excited to get to work and they want to be there. They don't have to be there (at voluntary practices); I think there's a huge difference in that. Everything feels the way it should be, I feel like, on an NFL team, and I'm excited to be a part of it and kind of help chase more greatness for us."

Pickett also revealed that a group of first-year pros and veteran players recently attended a Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field, home of the Steelers.

While some fans may want to see Pickett in action as soon as possible, the 24-year-old's words serve as a reminder he can still learn plenty without taking snaps on Sundays this fall.