The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback situation is much more pronounced before the start of training camp in 2023 than it was a season ago. Kenny Pickett took over the starting job from Mitch Trubisky and starts off his second year as the unquestioned starter of the franchise's future. Despite having more certainty in who will be under center to start the season, there are still plenty of questions to be answered. The unknown factor of what Pickett can do in year two landed Pittsburgh on Bleacher Report's ten-worst quarterback situations entering the 2023 training camps.
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Steelers Kenny Pickett throws during the 2022 training camp.
Pittsburgh's quarterback room, which includes Pickett, Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and undrafted rookie Tanner Morgan, landed in ninth place in the rankings by Gary Davenport. The core of the list was based on the talents and resumes of the presumed starting quarterbacks, but also weighed the skill position players and offensive lines along with coaching and backups.
In the writer's assessment of Pittsburgh's situation, he noted that while Pickett showed a ton of promise as the season went on, it was hardly without fault.
"The 12-game starter was 28th in the league in passing yards per game, throwing for less than 185 yards per contest," he said. "He threw just seven touchdown passes all season long against nine interceptions. Among qualifying quarterbacks, only Zach Wilson had a lower passer rating than Pickett's 76.7."
He added that the second-year quarterback will have a wealth of weapons with George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth. The other remaining question for Pickett, which wasn't really addressed by Bleacher Report, is whether Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada truly opens up the offense or not.
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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud enters a challenging situation as a rookie on a rebuilding Texans squad.
Many of the teams that ranked below Pittsburgh are transitioning to a rookie. The Houston Texans have the worst quarterback situation heading into camp. The Texans landed CJ Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft and while Davenport said he "is an immensely talented young quarterback who likely has a bright future in the NFL," his lack of weapons will severely limit him. As Davenport points out, Stroud, if he's the day one starter over Davis Mills, will have an aging Robert Woods and a completely untested John Metchie III as his top two receivers.
The Indianapolis Colts are handing over the reins to Anthony Richardson and while the talent he's shown off is undoubtedly impressive, he's still very raw. The Colts also have Gardiner Minshew, who is a capable backup, but is not an NFL starter. The Colts have decent weapons to surround him and while the offensive line has slipped, Quenton Nelson is still one of the top linemen in the league.
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Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett warms up prior to his first-ever NFL action in the 2022 preseason.
Steelers Get Some Props For Selecting Pickett
Three teams with 2022 draft choices under center landed below the Steelers giving the team some reassurance that Pickett was the best of that year's class. The Atlanta Falcons have the second-worst situation and are moving forward with third-round pick, Desmond Ridder, as their starter for 2023. He had limited action in 2022, but has a boatload of weapons to work with in Atlanta. The Washington Commanders are handing things over to Sam Howell after he played in just one game in his rookie year. He looked good in the one start and has plenty of weapons in Washington including new Offensive Coordinator, Eric Bieniemy.
The other 2022 quarterback selection to appear on the list was Malik Willis. The Tennessee Titans still have him on the roster despite having drafted Will Levis and also have veteran, Ryan Tannehill. They have Derrick Henry as well, but don't have many other weapons that scare will teams.
The only team ahead of Pittsburgh in the rankings was the New England Patriots. Mac Jones impressed as a rookie, taking the Patriots to the playoffs, but took a major step back without a real offensive mind coaching him in 2022. The team brought back Bill O'Brien to try and help out the young signal caller, but doesn't have a ton of weapons on offense. Rhamondre Stevenson had a nice second season in the league, but the Patriots' number one receiver as it stands today is former Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster. A nice complementary guy for sure, but not really a true number one.
Pickett has all the tools to ensure that Pittsburgh doesn't land on this list again next year. Now, he needs to show the improvements in the second half of the season are closer to what he can be than what he showed early on.
So, Steeler Nation, do you agree with the rankings? Does Pittsburgh have a better situation than New England? Comment below!
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