Despite underwhelming performances in his first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, there were plenty of fans who questioned whether or not Omar Khan did the right thing by shipping the 2022 first-round quarterback to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.
The decision is already being justified.
Entering his third year with a new change of scenery, some fans believed Pickett would show signs of life on a strong Eagles roster. This hasn't been the case.
In his first two preseason games of 2024, Pickett has been a disaster. Pickett's preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens consisted of only 89 passing yards on 22 attempts. This equated to a dismal 4.0 yards per attempt.
But it gets worse.
In Pickett's second preseason game, he showed his true colors and offered confirmation that he could never be a franchise quarterback. According to Warren Sharp, Pickett averaged a dismal 0.7 air yards per completion on 11 first-half passes against the New England Patriots while taking four sacks.
Pickett needed a bounce-back performance to keep third-string QB Tanner McKee off his heels. Instead, the first-round pick hit rock bottom while McKee completed 15 of 19 passes for 140 yards and earned a passer rating of 97.4. Now rumors are swirling that Pickett could be demoted to the Eagles' third-string quarterback... and it's not hard to see why.
Steelers were wise to end the Kenny Pickett experiment
I made it very clear that I was not a fan of Kenny Pickett the moment the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Between his underwhelming tools, one year of college production, small hands, and questionable ability to read the defense, Pickett was my fifth-rated QB in a bad quarterback class.
While I blame Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin for a complete misevaluation of the talent, I applaud Omar Khan for righting the wrong the best he could and trading Pickett to the Eagles during the 2024 offseason.
In place of Pickett, the Steelers received the Eagles' compensatory third-round pick. They turned this selection into All-American linebacker, Payton Wilson. Though Wilson hasn't proven anything in the NFL, he had an excellent rookie training camp, and his play-making ability flashes often on tape.
Even if Wilson never becomes a great NFL player, the Steelers were wise to wash their hands of Kenny Pickett before his third season. Now the former Pitt quarterback will be lucky if he doesn't get demoted to Philadelphia's third-string quarterback.
Steelers fans who were on the fence with the decision to trade Pickett have completely shifted gears and can put their minds at rest. Pittsburgh's 2022 first-round pick is not a franchise quarterback, and so far, he looks even worse on his second team.
