The Pittsburgh Steelers enjoyed the kind of quarterback consistency that most teams only dream of during the Ben Roethlisberger era. Since Roethlisberger's retirement following the 2021 season, the road has been less than smooth for the Steelers. The 2022 Mitch Trubisky experiment seemed finished before it began, and then Kenny Pickett took the reins. After a solid finish to the 2022 season, the Steelers are struggling with their 2023 offense, and one NFL insider wonders if the answer might be a veteran quarterback for the time being.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is struggling early in the 2023 season.
Steelers Could Benefit From Uncommon Quarterback Trade
During The GM Shuffle on Thursday, Michael Lombardi brought up the fact that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was asked about waiving the no-trade clause in his contract. That got the wheels turning, leading Lombardi to wonder if the Steelers wouldn't benefit from taking advantage of the Vikings' incredibly unexpected disaster of a 2023 campaign.
"Pittsburgh. Would Pittsburgh take him? Would you put Kirk Cousins on Pittsburgh's team right now? Pretty much, that might improve them, and it might give them a long-term answer."
The amount of Steelers fans who immediately bristle at the thought of Pickett not being under center for the Steelers is significant, but what Lombardi means by "long-term answer" might not mean what everyone assumes it does. Is there one scenario where the Steelers trade for Cousins, he comes in and lights up 2023, cementing him as the starter moving forward? Sure, but that isn't the only one.
The big plus with Pickett coming out of the draft was supposed to be how NFL-ready he was compared to the other prospects. So far, in 2023 at least, that isn't turning out to be the case. Issues with Pickett's accuracy and pocket presence - both of which he had struggled with at some point in college - are surfacing as Pittsburgh's offensive line isn't making the leap everyone hoped they would.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers may see scenarios that have Kirk Cousins coming from the Minnesota Vikings to the Steel City in 2023.
Steelers Could Have Both Pickett And Cousins
Lombardi sees Pickett's rookie deal as a huge positive in this hypothetical situation, with the lack of financial investment giving them the capital to work with that could secure Cousins. If there is one thing the Steelers are looking for from their quarterback, it's consistency, and that is something that Cousins excels at. He may not be considered elite, but he is the only quarterback to throw for at least 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in all of the past six seasons. That kind of stability is attractive to a team that looks like they will struggle to score at even a slow rate.
Zach Bolinger / Associated Press
The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping that their young offensive weapons like Kenny Pickett and George Pickens grow together through 2023 and beyond.
Now, even for that kind of consistency, it doesn't really seem like the Pittsburgh kind of thing to do. Lombardi acknowledges that, but wonders how much faith the Steelers actually have in Pickett at this point.
"Would they sign him [Cousins]? Well, they got a quarterback on a rookie deal; I'm sure they could. Is it Pittsburgh's style? I don't think so, but it depends on where they think they are with Kenny Pickett."
Lombardi is looking beyond 2023 when he is considering this trade scenario. If the Steelers decide to stick it out with Pickett, but still feel unsure about his long-term future with the team, what would their 2024 draft position be? Pickett is a competitor; he's shown at least that much, so he won't simply go quietly into that good night. Another 9-8 season wouldn't give them a desirable draft spot, meaning missing out on a top quarterback prospect if they decide to roll the dice again and consider Pickett a bust.
"They're [Steelers] gonna win enough games, they're not gonna get a top quarterback. If you're Omar Khan, you know you're not gonna get a top-10 quarterback, so do you keep going with Pickett and hope he gets better? Or do you say, for the next two years, let me bring in Cousins, and we'll see if Pickett grows up? I don't know if I'd argue with that logic."
There have certainly been loud whispers that would indicate 2023 is the last year for Cousins in Minnesota, but does that mean his next logical landing spot would be in Pittsburgh? 2023 hasn't lived up to the hype that the Steelers' preseason set up, but it's a far cry from the franchise being in a desperate quarterback position. If anything, perhaps a big trade for a competent offensive coordinator would be more effective. Although, we'd probably end up paying someone just to take Matt Canada off our hands.
Would you want Kirk Cousins as a Steelers quarterback if it meant Kenny Pickett was gone? Comment below!
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