Should Steelers be worried Kenny Pickett is injury prone, or thrilled hes tough? (2024)

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PITTSBURGH — It was an all too familiar scene — Kenny Pickett on the turf, writhing in pain.

And if all goes as planned, that same guy will brush off what originally appeared to be a serious injury and get back on the field four days later.

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Pickett has been the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback for just over a calendar year, and he’s already found himself in some precarious situations when it comes to injuries. That brings up a question, whether it is too early to tell or not: Is Pickett injury-prone, or is he an old-fashioned tough guy?

“Kenny is a competitive guy,” quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan said earlier this month. “He is going to fight until the end.”

But this has clearly become a trend. In 19 career starts, Pickett has been injured and not returned in four of them, including late in the first half of Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Pickett was driven into the ground, injured his ribs and did not return, despite throwing after halftime and initially being ruled probable. Tests revealed there was no structural damage, and there is a good possibility that Pickett could play on a short week Thursday when the Steelers host the Tennessee Titans at Acrisure Stadium.

GO DEEPERSteelers' Pickett a 'game-time decision' vs. Titans; Fitzpatrick out

“I think the door is definitively ajar for Kenny, probably a game-time type decision,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday. “We’ll go through the week. His ability to throw, his level of comfort, his effectiveness and let that be our guide in terms of determining his availability.”

Kenny Pickett was limited at practice on Monday for Steelers ….. that is if the Steelers practiced on Monday.

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) October 30, 2023

Whether Pickett starts against the Titans isn’t relevant. It’s the fact that the 25-year-old, 2022 first-round pick got hurt again, and that it doesn’t appear to be a long-term injury.

The question remains: Is it just bad luck that has forced Pickett to leave more games than any other NFL quarterback over the last two seasons? Or is it something to be concerned about, even though two of the first three injuries didn’t keep him out of the following week’s game?

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It’s common to see injuries at quarterback, so Pickett’s elevated number in a short period might not be out of the norm. Already this season, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, Deshaun Watson, Derek Carr, Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young, Daniel Jones, Ryan Tannehill and Jimmy Garoppolo have been injured and missed games. Kirk Cousins will join that list, and Matthew Stafford might also, after both were hurt Sunday. Kyler Murray has yet to play while recovering from an injury suffered last December.

Pickett (even before Sunday’s injury), Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Geno Smith and Brock Purdy have all been banged up but didn’t miss a start. Desmond Ridder was checked for a concussion Sunday and, although he was cleared, did not return. There are also a handful of backups injured, some out for the season.

But even if it’s common, you can understand the concern.

“This is a fully committed guy,” Tomlin said earlier this season. “This is a guy that works his tail off, and largely, those are guys that create their fortune.”

Pickett has struggled on the field and has been criticized for getting out of the pocket too quickly. It dates back to his college years at Pitt. Pickett has been sacked 44 times in 20 games. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 41 times over his first 20 games.

GO DEEPERKenny Pickett's college Achilles' heel remains an issue in the NFL. Is it fixable?

After Roethlisberger took 40-plus sacks in five of six seasons from 2006 to 2011, Steelers owner Art Rooney II pushed for an offensive coordinator change — from Bruce Arians to Todd Haley — with one bullet point to his hire: keep the QB upright. It didn’t matter that Roethlisberger had won two Super Bowls and played in a third. Rooney’s directive was to keep his franchise quarterback healthy.

Pickett has shown nothing yet to suggest he’s a franchise quarterback, but he has shown Roethlisberger-like tendencies of getting hurt and coming back not too long after.

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Here are Pickett’s injuries so far:

  • He suffered a concussion against Tampa Bay in Week 6 of 2022, his second start. He didn’t miss a game, returning the following week against Miami and matching a career high with three interceptions.
  • He suffered a second concussion in his ninth start, in Week 14 of 2022 against Baltimore. He missed the majority of the Ravens game and sat the next week against the Carolina Panthers. He returned Christmas Eve to have arguably the best game of his career against the Las Vegas Raiders.
  • Pickett left Week 4’s game this season against the Houston Texans with a bone bruise in his knee after getting sacked. He wore a knee brace for a couple of days before returning and leading the Steelers to a fourth-quarter comeback against the Ravens.
  • Pickett injured his ribs against the Jaguars in his 19th career start. He missed the entire second half.

He also missed three college games after suffering shoulder and ankle injuries, having surgery for the latter in October 2020. But the concussions quickly became the main concern for the Steelers.

Both of Pickett’s concussions, which he suffered 56 days apart, happened in a similar fashion: a whiplash tackle that led to the back of Pickett’s head slamming against the turf. He has changed helmets twice, wearing three different models in his short career.

GO DEEPERCan a QB-specific helmet prevent concussions? Kenny Pickett (and others) are counting on it

“It’s obviously a concern, right?” general manager Omar Khan said at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February when asked about Pickett’s concussions. “You take every precaution, you take every step to try and prevent them or minimize them.”

Concussions haven’t been a problem this season, but other things have popped up. The lack of time he has to throw the ball has made him erratic. He often tries to escape the pocket, which can lead to unnecessary hits.

Through eight games, Pickett is one of the NFL’s worst-rated quarterbacks across the board. Even though it’s not all his fault, he has yet to take the next step. Whether any of that has been injury-related, or whether he’s been playing when he should be resting, is not known.

There is a chance that Pickett won’t play Thursday, but he will practice Tuesday and Wednesday to determine that for sure. Tomlin said it’s more than a matter of whether he is medically cleared to play.

“Certainly, I’m going to want to see something, absolutely,” Tomlin said. “He is a young guy, so I need to see some physical preparation to consider him, certainly.”

(Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)

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Update: 2024-07-15

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Should Steelers be worried Kenny Pickett is injury prone, or thrilled hes tough? (2024)

FAQs

Should Steelers be worried Kenny Pickett is injury prone, or thrilled hes tough? ›

Pickett has shown nothing yet to suggest he's a franchise quarterback, but he has shown Roethlisberger-like tendencies of getting hurt and coming back not too long after. Here are Pickett's injuries so far: He suffered a concussion against Tampa Bay in Week 6 of 2022, his second start.

What does Terry Bradshaw think of Kenny Pickett? ›

"I love Pickett," Bradshaw said. "I know him well and he's fiercely competitive, he's a tough-minded kid, things don't bother him. I really like him a lot.

How good of a quarterback is Kenny Pickett? ›

A first-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 2022 (20th overall), Pickett compiled a 14-10 record as a starter with the Steelers, completing 62.6 percent of his passes with 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in two seasons.

Why is Kenny Pickett out for the Steelers? ›

“It just felt like it was time from things that transpired. Wanted to get a chance to go somewhere else to grow my career.” There was clearly some friction between Pickett and Steelers management when he left but he still spoke highly of his former team - particularly his teammates and coaches.

What did the Steelers get for Kenny Pickett? ›

March 15 - The Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles for three draft picks, multiple outlets reported. The Steelers also gave up a fourth-round draft pick (No. 120 overall) in this year's draft, according to ESPN. Pittsburgh will receive a third-round draft pick (No.

What diagnosis does Terry Bradshaw have? ›

In March 2022, only five months since his first diagnosis, Terry had an MRI after some recurring neck pain. That was when he found out about a Merkel cell tumor, a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer, in his neck.

Is Terry Bradshaw a good quarterback? ›

College Football Hall of Fame

In four career Super Bowl appearances, he passed for 932 yards and nine touchdowns, both Super Bowl records at the time of his retirement. In 19 career postseason games, he completed 261 passes for 3,833 yards.

Why did Eagles take Kenny Pickett? ›

Pickett, Pittsburgh's 2022 first-round pick who the Eagles traded picks to acquire this offseason to back up Jalen Hurts, was efficient in his Eagles debut. He connected on 14 of his 22 pass attempts, good for 63.6%, a number that is higher than his career total (62.6%) in Pittsburgh.

Is Kenny Pickett a dual threat QB? ›

Kenny Pickett 2017 Dual Threat Quarterback Pittsburgh.

What was Kenny Pickett passer rating? ›

Kenny Pickett has a passer rating of 78.8 in his career.

What is Kenny Pickett salary for the Steelers? ›

Kenny Pickett signed a 4 Years, $14,067,905 contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on June 23, 2022. The contract runs through the 2026 season and has an average annual value of $3,516,976. It also came with a $7,411,204 signing bonus and $14,067,905 guaranteed.

Will the Steelers draft a quarterback in 2024? ›

The Pittsburgh Steelers have two new options at quarterback and will look to add young talent around them in the 2024 NFL draft, hosted in downtown Detroit on April 25-27.

Does Kenny Pickett's wife work? ›

Now, Paternoster works full-time as a private equity associate at PNC Riverarch Capital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Why did Kenny Pickett ask to be traded? ›

Limited by a talent level that fell short of his draft pick and stubborn decision-makers who stepped in too late, Pickett expressed displeasure with Wilson's signing by requesting a trade.

Who will be the Steelers quarterback? ›

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into their preseason opener against the Houston Texans with Justin Fields as their starting quarterback.

What did Terry Bradshaw say about Justin Fields? ›

Bradshaw feels that by trading for Fields, the Steelers will make a costly mistake. “They're going to beat [Kenny] Pickett up, and they're going to want to trade for Fields in Chicago. I say that's a huge mistake,” Bradshaw told Eisen. “You don't need Fields.

What team was Kenny Pickett a fan of? ›

And it was readily apparent at his introductory news conference that the 25-year-old Pickett, who grew up in New Jersey and was raised as an Eagles fan, is embracing the change of scenery.

Did Kenny Pickett fumble a lot in college? ›

Only one of those six plays resulted in a turnover. Four other Pickett fumbles from his college career came down the field either on a designed run or a scramble attempt that included him taking a hit. 14 other fumbles by Pickett during his college career were essentially strip sacks.

Who did Kenny Pickett get drafted by? ›

Before being selected as the first quarterback off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Pickett was a star at the University of Pittsburgh, where he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting after guiding the Panthers to the 2021 ACC Championship and a No. 13 final ranking.

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