The Pittsburgh Steelers went 9-8 in the 2022, and that was with a rookie quarterback playing 13 games.
Can Kenny Pickett take the Steelers to another level in year two of his NFL career? Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has a lot of confidence in that.
Appearing on Thursday’s edition of The Rich Eisen show, Tomlin told Eisen, “I expect [Pickett] to kill it” in the 2023 NFL season.
🗣️ @CoachTomlin
"I expect him to kill it." – The @steelers head coach told us what he thinks is coming from @kennypickett10 in Year 2:#NFL #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/DZpmOsh79Z
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 18, 2023
Tomlin elaborated:
“I’ll describe what I mean by that. It’s his second lap around the track. He’s no longer speculating in terms of what this business is about, what the job demands, what the challenges are, what the feel of the process is like- whether it’s getting ready for a season or getting ready for a week. He has all of that experience. So, I just think it’s reasonable for him to have significant growth in all areas with that understanding, to be more engaged in the process and to have an opinion about the process, to lead more comfortably in his own voice… I’m just looking for him to take a significant step in all areas, because he’s in position to. He has experience. He’s performed some. He has relationships. He’s had some challenges. All of those things are platforms for growth… He loves it. He’s a gym rat. He likes to work. He’s communicative. He just has all of the intangible things that you would expect from a guy at that position, but really at any position to take a step from year one to year two.”
In 2022, Pickett threw for seven touchdowns and nine interceptions, completed 63.0% of his passes (6.2 AVG), and had a passer rating of 76.7. He added 237 yards (4.3 AVG) and three touchdowns on the ground. The Steelers went 7-5 over his 12 starts.
Pickett — who turns 25 in June — was selected by the Steelers in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft after he played college football locally at Pitt.
[The Rich Eisen Show on Twitter]
