Former Pitt Panther Kenny Pickett will make his starting debut in week 5
While it may have not been an enjoyable weekend for current Pitt quarterbacks, it was a big moment for a former one. Former Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett made his NFL regular season debut in the week 4 loss to the New York Jets. It looks like he will now lead the Pittsburgh Steelers like he did the Panthers going forward as the team is expected to name Pickett their starter going forward.
The #Steelers are expected to move forward with rookie QB Kenny Pickett, sources say, as the first-rounder is set to replace Mitch Trubisky in the lineup. Pickett saw his first action on Sunday and is slated to be the QB moving forward. pic.twitter.com/Lc2ZiMerlg
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 3, 2022
Pickett had an outstanding career for the Panthers that came to a peak during his final season. Pickett in his career had 12,303 passing yards and 101 total touchdowns. Pickett is also the winningest starting quarterback in Pitt history with 32 victories. During Pickett’s prolific 2021 season, he was a Heisman Trophy finalist and won the ACC’s most outstanding player of the year.
Pickett replaced struggling Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback in the second half and went 10 of 13 passing with three interceptions. Pickett also rushed for 15 yards and scored two touchdowns with his legs. While the turnovers were an issue, he did end up providing the spark the offense has been missing for this season.
It won’t get any easier for the rookie quarterback in the weeks coming up. The Steelers play the Bills, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Eagles before going on bye. All of those defenses can make life difficult for any quarterback let alone a rookie. Either way, this will lead to a new era for the Steelers and Pickett can finally lead a Pittsburgh team yet again.