The Steelers are now in the same position they were in last season. With no quarterbacks remaining on contract, the team will possibly boast a completely new quarterback room once again. To help fix the situation, the organization could turn to a former quarterback to aid their issues.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should re-sign Kenny Pickett.
Following a season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kenny Pickett is headed into the offseason as a Super Bowl champion. Many of the Steelers players themselves have not even won a playoff game, let alone the biggest game in the sport.
Pickett now offers the pedigree of playoff success, something the Steelers have sorely lacked for years. The last time the Steelers won a playoff game was three years before Pitt rebranded to their current color scheme.
Bringing back Pickett would provide youth but also a newfound sense of maturity he seemed to build in his time in Philadelphia. When asked about the tenuous situations that led to his trade from the team, Pickett addressed them maturely and said his focus was on the Eagles.
Pickett’s youth could provide more athleticism than Russell Wilson offered during his entire season with the Steelers. Even if it doesn’t work out immediately, Pickett’s leadership allows the Steelers to enter a period of rebuilding, which gives them a chance to draft high-potential talent for the first time in years.
Pickett’s issues with accuracy are not as stressful as they were in the past, as they clearly improved in his time with the Eagles. Additionally, the scheme in Pittsburgh under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is much more complimentary to Pickett’s game than former offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s was. In a run-first offense, the pressure on Pickett is less substantial than it was the first time around.
Pickett would still need to have options surrounding him for him to succeed. The Eagles did, and the Steelers should. Philadelphia has Saquon Barkley as well as an elite receiving corps in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith that surrounded Pickett, which took significant pressure off him and allowed him to facilitate the offense in limited time on the field.
Pickett could reconnect with his roots once again, practicing in the same facility as his alma mater. It is possible a return to the city could reinvigorate Pickett, allowing him to take the Steelers to the next level of competition.
Pickett exhibited streakiness for much of his collegiate and professional career, and the Steelers have the opportunity to catch him on the end of a good streak — timing that correctly could land them their first playoff win since Jamie Dixon was coaching Pitt men’s basketball.
His tenure with the Steelers the first time was not good by any stretch of the imagination. That said, it is impossible with as many variables as there were to estimate who was truly at fault. Without much to lose, and the Steelers looking entirely lifeless and directionless this offseason, they could turn to a former player and hometown legend for their salvation.