Reports emerged on Monday that the Pittsburgh Steelers were expected to name rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett the team’s starter after coming into Sunday’s game in relief for Mitch Trubisky.
Many were skeptical of this due to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin previously showing a ton of support for Trubisky, and seemingly being reluctant to make this change.
Given the reports that emerged, Tomlin addressed the media on Tuesday and confirmed the speculation that Kenny Pickett will be the team’s starter moving forward.
“At the quarterback position, we made a change in-game. And Kenny (Pickett) will start this week,” said Tomlin. “Mitch’s performance was a component of the decision, but not the only component of the decision. We haven’t moved the ball fluently enough to our liking. The quarterback is a component of that, but not the only component.
“I don’t want to dump the responsibility of what transpired at Mitch’s feet. That’s not fair to him. He has played better than that description, but we haven’t. In an effort to move the ball more fluently and score more points, we have decided to go to Kenny.”
Coach Tomlin on the quarterback change: pic.twitter.com/fOzcKo96ZX
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 4, 2022
Steelers fans have been calling for this move for the majority of the season, and they made it very clear by expressing their satisfaction with the move on Tuesday.
Best thing to happen to the Steelers in years. https://t.co/kBeGAj6zl0
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) October 4, 2022
There’s a new QB1 in Pittsburgh… https://t.co/8At0fXDfkn
— Richard Graves (@RichardGraves1) October 4, 2022
Kenny Pickett becomes the first rookie QB to start this season, and it’s against a #Bills D that’s among the best in league. Pickett made his first appearance Sunday, becoming first QB in NFL history to rush for multiple TD in his career debut. https://t.co/Rm1PNJogNY
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) October 4, 2022
Kenny Pickett has been named the starter this week vs. Bills (-14)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: +1000 pic.twitter.com/Wo2wRd0sLl
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) October 4, 2022
Let’s all be patient #SteelersNation, there will be some growing pains. With that said, I’m so pumped for the beginning of the Kenny era! ✌️🧤 https://t.co/9ef6StWjJb
— Ryan (@rmcgranahan19) October 4, 2022
I liked what I saw from Kenny at least he isn’t scared to pull the trigger down field https://t.co/cINjtokYNg
— Khalil, Esq. (@khalilrivers) October 4, 2022
Pickett flashed with some strong plays in his debut on Sunday, but also certainly showed some growing pains with some costly turnovers.
Those growing pains may be highlighted in his debut game as the starter against a tough Buffalo Bills defense.
Through four games the Bills’ defense ranks top-five in the NFL in sacks, turnovers forced, and yards allowed per game.
This sounds like a recipe for disaster for any young quarterback, but we will see if Pickett is ready for his huge step.
