Steelers QB1 Kenny Pickett Increasingly Confident Offense Will Attack Differently In His Second Season With Matt Canada

The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted four quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1970. They selected Terry Bradshaw with the first overall pick in 1970, Mark Malone with the 27th pick in 1980, Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th pick in the 2004 draft and finally Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick overall in 2021. The Steelers’ first-round quarterbacks since the merger have all at least advanced as far as the AFC Championship game during their tenure with the team.

It is a significant legacy and one that Pickett takes seriously. The previous two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks for the Steelers were pressed into significant playing time in their rookie seasons with various degrees of success. Malone, who only started 46 games for the Steelers did not start until his second season in the NFL and did not become the full-time starter for Pittsburgh until his fifth season in the league.

Steelers Kenny Pickett Implies Wider Selection Of Plays Open To Him In 2023

Pickett started 12 games as a rookie which places him behind Roethlisberger with 13 starts, but ahead of Bradshaw who only started eight games as a rookie. The Pittsburgh franchise quarterbacks have been defined by two definitive characteristics, both Bradshaw and Roethlisberger won Super Bowls, and both were fiercely independent signal callers who preferred calling their own plays.

Pickett joined the PM Team/w Poni & Mueller on Wednesday to discuss his brief time with the Steelers. He played quarterback for the Pitt Panthers and has spent five seasons in Pittsburgh which has endeared him to Steelers faithful and might be directly responsible for getting him on the field sooner rather than later. Andrew Fillipponi who is Pickett’s biggest cheerleader asked if he expected the offense to be different in 2023.

“Honestly, I went through the entire playbook with Coach Canada,” Pickett revealed. “I ranked the things that I liked, what I didn’t like. We are kind of molding it that way, he wants me to feel comfortable and everyone go out there and play fast. The communication has been great, having a year under my belt and proving some things in game helps validate when I have an opinion.”

One of the biggest knocks on Matt Canada from multiple sources is that he has an out-of-control ego and is prone to treating his quarterbacks as less than, rather than partners in his success. The Steelers improved dramatically after the bye last season after a supposedly candid meeting between the offense and Canada refereed by Mike Tomlin. If that meeting has resulted in more trust in his quarterback, specifically Pickett, the Steelers' offense could take a big leap forward this season.

“You don’t want to put guys in situations where you don’t think it is their strong suit,” Pickett continued. “You want to put guys in situations to highlight what they do best. After the bye week, I felt a lot better after getting a chance to study. We took some things we thought were good but weren’t as successful and kind of moved things and shuffled around and got some concepts from other teams.”

Another huge criticism about the Steelers’ offense is the cutesy play calling that often led to disaster throughout the season. Ill-timed flea-flickers, jet sweeps and tight-end screens caused fans deep frustration. The repeated targeting of Diontae Johnson and Connor Heyward who were among the smallest Steelers receivers with George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth available was another example of curious play calling that led to poor efficiency in the red zone.

“I think in the first two days we are hitting different spots,” Pickett told Chris Mueller about practice in 2023. “It goes into mastering the system, I was still kind of learning the plays and now I am at the point where if I see this coverage, I have this route and I am going to attack it. I know this is my shot to hit one deep. I am starting to get to that point now. Everyone knows they have a shot to get the ball, there aren’t just routes to clear it out.”

The idea that some of the playbook was simplified and routes were used as decoys could explain the frustrations of watching Pickens and Freiermuth be ignored for large stretches of games during the 2022 season. It could also explain why a primary receiver was often preselected until the Steelers entered a two-minute drill and the field opened up to Pickett.

A rookie quarterback can often be evaluated on how fast he can adapt and process new information in the NFL. Very few rookie quarterbacks not named Roethlisberger have set the NFL on fire for a reason, it is an extremely hard job. Pickett has evolved from starting football games as the quarterback of the Steelers and playing quarterback instead. 

Pickett might not be at the point where he can call his own plays consistently and it is doubtful that Canada has evolved to the point where he would let him. If the pair can figure out a way to allow Pickett the freedom to process what he sees while playing within a planned structure, the offense can finally take two steps forward and no steps back.