The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation has been one of the worst in the NFL for several years. In a 2024 offseason with several high-end passers and young starters available, the Steelers seemed well-positioned to upgrade at the position.
Despite posting winning records in the last two years, including a playoff appearance last season, Pittsburgh has often won games in spite of its quarterback play. From 2022-’23, the Steelers’ offense ranked 21st in Dropback EPA (-0.02) and 20th in Dropback Success Rate (44.2 percent).
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In an NFL offseason with Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson all available, now seemed to be the perfect time for Pittsburgh to upgrade over Kenny Pickett. The Steelers had been tied to Fields in NFL trade rumors and reports suggested Wilson would be interested in a partnership. However, it appears the team is going in a completely different direction.
- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback stats 2023: 84.6 QB rating, 13-9 TD-INT, 201.2 passing yards per game, 6.8 yards per attempt, 63.8% completion rate
According to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, the Steelers are not interested in Wilson following his release by the Denver Broncos. Not only that, Pittsburgh isn’t interested in any of the top quarterbacks available this year.
“Additionally, Pittsburgh is not among the teams actively working to trade for Fields, league sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Pittsburgh is also not pursuing Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield in free agency, according to league sources.”
Mike DeFabo and Dianna Russini on the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation
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The Athletic’s reporting backs up previous information that indicated the Steelers front office is still backing Pickett as the starting quarterback in 2024. During the NFL Combine, general manager Omar Khan offered a vote of confidence in the former first-round pick.
“I have full faith in Kenny Pickett. Obviously there were some issues with the offense, and I’m excited about the impact that Arthur Smith is going to have on him. I know Arthur’s very optimistic about Kenny, and I know they’ve communicated. And we’ll see where it goes. We feel really good about him.”
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan on quarterback Kenny Pickett
Despite reports suggesting Pickett doesn’t have the support of the Steelers locker room, team officials are still fully committed to him. It’s the same level of confidence that led to Pickett being the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, despite no other NFL team seemingly viewing him as a first-round talent.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is in a contract year this upcoming season and the team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. Despite the growing sense of urgency team owner Art Rooney II acknowledged in January, saying “It’s time to get some wins; it’s time to take these next steps,” it appears Pittsburgh is poised for more of the same at quarterback in 2024.
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