Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett will be under center if he’s available to play this weekend.
First things first, however. Pickett remains in concussion protocol after he exited the third quarter of Sunday’s 20-18 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was hit in the chest by Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, with the tackle causing Pickett’s head to bounce off the ground.
Tomlin, however, told reporters that he expects the 24-year-old to be able to practice in preparation for Pittsburgh’s road game against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday (8:20 p.m. ET).
“It is my understanding that his work won’t be limited in any way in preparation. We’ll adhere to the protocol and follow that and let that be our guide in terms of participation,” Tomlin said. “I’ll say this: If he’s cleared to play, he’ll play, he’ll play quarterback for us.
“In the meantime, we’ll ready ourselves. He’ll be a full participant (Wednesday) and we’ll have him and Mitch (Trubisky) working at the quarterback position.”
Pickett completed 11 of 18 passes for 67 yards against Tampa Bay. He tossed his first career touchdown pass in the first quarter, a 6-yard scoring strike to Najee Harris.
Pickett was selected by the Steelers with the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Trubisky, 28, completed 9 of 12 passes for 144 yards in relief of Pickett this past Sunday. He tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chase Claypool early in the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media