The Pittsburgh Steelers boast one of the best defenses in the NFL, yet their offense held them back over and over. Now, they'll have to make the transition towards the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, and it's never easy to move on from a Hall of Famer at QB.
It's clear that neither Mason Rudolph nor Mitch Trubisky were the solution for the Steelers' offensive woes going forward. They were expected to be stopgaps at best, while the team found its QB for the future.
Notably, however, it seems like they may not even start come the first week of the upcoming season, as Mike Tomlin confirmed that rookie Kenny Pickett could easily take the starting spot.
NFL Rumors: Kenny Pickett Could Start Week 1, Says Mike Tomlin
“He certainly has a chance [to be Steelers’ Week 1 starter]. I agree with that sentiment of his readiness from a professional perspective,” Tomlin said, as quoted by ClutchPoints.
“It was two things that really attracted us to him from a floor standpoint," the coach added. "We thought he had pro-level anticipation [and] we thought he had pro-level accuracy. Often times those are two variables that really require a lot of adjustment from a quarterback’s standpoint. We felt he came ready-made in those ways, and hopefully that’s an asset to him in terms of being able to compete and being ready if performance dictates it.”
Pickett is coming off an impressive career at Pittsburgh and already knows Heinz Field. He's got the arm strength and accuracy to at least put a lot of pressure on the rest of the Steelers' QB room.
So, even if most rookie QBs need to spend one or two years on the sidelines to get a grasp of the playbook and get NFL-ready, it seems like the Steelers might be looking to send their young star right into the foxhole from the gate.
