For the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the problems that arises from having a head coach that has never had a year under .500 concerns the NFL Draft. Specifically, never getting high enough in the draft to select one of the year’s top QB prospects.
This has been a constant throughout head coach, Mike Tomlin’s reign. And whilst the Steelers undoubtedly welcome winning each season, there is clearly a feeling that being slightly above average each year, and often well below average in the quarterback department, can be more frustrating for fans than tanking, and subsequently rebuilding around a dynamic new signal caller.
Pittsburgh Steelers Looking For A Spark At Quarterback
So, this year, the Steelers have taken a swing at former Super Bowl Champion quarterback, Russell Wilson, to compete for a starting position with incumbent; former 20th overall pick in 2022, Kenny Pickett.
However, earlier on Friday afternoon, it was announced that Pickett was to be traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he will likely back up starter, Jalen Hurts.
And now, it seems like we have the reasoning behind this somewhat curious trade, per Pittsburgh Steelers insider, Gerry Dulac.
The Steelers made the move because of the way Pickett was poorly handling the arrival of Russell Wilson, according to sources. That came on the heels of Pickett’s behavior last season when he refused to dress as the emergency third quarterback in Seattle in Week 17. https://t.co/mirLR1UJFP
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 15, 2024
Kenny Pickett Not Content With Being Number 2
It seems like Pickett was not willing to fight for the starting job with Russell Wilson, who, despite a couple of tough years in Denver, did have a surprisingly good second year with the team.
Pickett also dealt with the rise of Steelers backup, Mason Rudolph, who played excellently down the stretch last season, and is evidently part of the reason why Tomlin and Pittsburgh general manager, Omar Khan, were willing to trade Pickett for just a 4th round pick to the Eagles.
Albert Breer reports that whilst Wilson would have been the favorite to land the job, the decision was anything but all but made.
No promises were made by the @Steelers on starting jobs, I’m told. Veterans generally get the first crack at it with the 1s in spring, and so the plan was for Russell Wilson to begin with that, and for there to be a QB competition with Kenny Pickett from there.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 15, 2024
It looks like, therefore, that Russell Wilson will be the Steelers starter come September, barring any surprising developments. As for Kenny Pickett, he will now almost certainly start the season on the bench as Hurts’ backup – let’s see if he can restore his character reputation and serve as a good number 2 to the potentially Super Bowl contending Eagles.
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