Steelers "Certainly" Need To See More From Kenny Pickett According To Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the more interesting situations at the quarterback position in the National Football League. It's not that there's a battle going on for who is the number one guy, but they have a signal-caller in Kenny Pickett who has had very little success in the first three quarters of games since he was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The fans in the Steel City are slowly beginning to question if he is the guy of the future and if the apparent lack of growth in 2023 will lead to the franchise looking around for a new quarterback in 2024.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media as he usually goes on Tuesdays during the regular season. He went over a plethora of topics including the Week 10 win over the Green Bay Packers, injuries, an upcoming division matchup versus the Cleveland Browns, among many other things. As he was fielding questions from reporters, someone asked if Tomlin needs to see more from his quarterback, even though the team sits at 6-3 and in the AFC playoff picture.

"Certainly. Man, we're gonna need more particularly as this road narrows, but guys like Kenny and myself, man, we're measured by wins and losses. He and I talk about that often and openly."

Tomlin is known as a player's coach and will rarely ever publicly ridicule any of the guys on his team, let alone his second-year starting quarterback who is still figuring out how life works in the NFL. It's notable, however, that he answered the question in a way that seems like the jury in the building is still out when it comes to the former Pitt Panther.

In a quarterback-driven league, it's hard for a team like the Steelers, that have so much money invested in the defensive side of the ball, to hold onto a signal-caller too long that isn't living up to expectations. Pickett isn't being replaced any time soon, but it's not unfair to say that the final couple months of the 2023 season could make things extremely interesting in Pittsburgh's building.

Tomlin continued to downplay any negative attention headed Pickett's way. He knows there are things to work on, and they are doing things to make him better on a consistent basis. At the end of the day, though, his 13-8 record as a starter is what really matters.

"We know what our jobs are. Our jobs are to win. And so, that's where we are. That's where our focus is. I love the fact that he embraces that. Down in and down out, there are some things to work on, certainly. But, it's not like we're gonna start on Wednesday. We've been working no those things and we will continue until we get the desired result."

Pickett has had a rough 2023 season when it comes to box scores. He only has 1,616 yards passing along with six touchdowns and four interceptions. His completion percentage sitting at 61.3 is almost two less than it was during his rookie season. It's hard to ignore and look away from a record of 6-3, but he's nowhere close to putting up significant numbers like the best quarterbacks in the league

The main positive of his game has been a lack of turnovers. It might have something to do with conservative play-calling, but the Steelers are finding ways to win games because they aren't turning the ball over, and the defense is coming up with big plays at the right times.

Steelers And Pickett Have Tough Two-Game Stretch Ahead

Pittsburgh will travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12 after a tough road test coming up against the Browns. They could very easily be 6-5 heading into December, or 8-3. Anything can happen in divisional games, but one things is for sure; Pickett needs to step up and put up bigger numbers, especially against a Browns team that is nearly impossible to run on.

Do you think the Steelers should consider looking into a quarterback in 2024 if Pickett doesn't show too much progress? Let us know in the comments below!

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