Quarterbacks Kenny Pickett (L) of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals look on ahead of the game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 23, 2023. /AP
The Pittsburgh Steelers have "full faith" in their sophomore quarterback (QB) Kenny Pickett despite his struggling 2023 season, the team's general manager Omar Khan said at the NFL scouting combine on Thursday.
Pickett was drafted by the Steelers with the 20th pick in 2022. He played 12 games last season before suffering a high ankle sprain in the game against the Arizona Cardinals on December 3, 2023. He underwent TightRope surgery as a result. Though Pickett was cleared to return at the end of the regular season, the Steelers chose to continue to play Mason Rudolph.
The Steelers were 7-5 with Pickett, who completed 201 of his 324 passes for six touchdowns with four turnovers. He also rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown with 42 carries. By contrast, Rudolphi threw 55-of-74 for 719 yards and three touchdowns with no turnover. The team won all three of the regular-season games he started in.
In the Steelers' 31-17 American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills, Rudolph completed 22 of his 39 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns with one turnover. He will become a free agent during the offseason. The team also released their No. 3 QB Mitch Trubisky, making Pickett their only player in the position.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to pass in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, December 31, 2023. /AP
"I have full faith in Kenny," Khan said. "He's shown us some good things, and obviously there were some issues with the offense. I'm excited about the impact that [new offensive coordinator] Arthur Smith's going to have on him. Arthur's very optimistic about Kenny and they communicated, and like I said, we will have some strong competition there and we'll see where it goes. Feel really good about him."
However, no matter how much "faith" the Steelers have in Pickett, it's unrealistic for a team to have only one QB on their roster. According to ESPN, coach Mike Tomlin wants competitions for Pickett. Khan has planned to have three QBs under Smith.
"I'm not going to go into details about the conversations that we've had," Khan said. "But I can tell you that I have an obligation to look at every avenue that's out there to try to make us a better football team."
The Steelers can sign Rudolph back as a free agent. There are other targets, like Justin Fields of the Chicago Cubs or Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos, for the team to go after either via trade or free agent signing.