Kenny Pickett

Pickett never regained the starting job last season after injuring his right ankle in Week 13. The Steelers then pulled the plug for good on the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft, trading him to Philadelphia in March. In 25 games (24 starts) for the Steelers, Pickett was bottom 10 in most passing stats, including ranking 42nd among 44 qualified QBs with a 6.3 YPA. He finished with 13 TDs and 13 INTs. In Philadelphia he’ll have a lot more help than he ever had in Western Pennsylvania, with wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert and now RB Saquon Barkley providing more than enough firepower. And if starter Jalen Hurts goes down, the 6-3, 220-pound Pickett might benefit from the Tush Push as well -- he ran for 237 yards and three scores his rookie year but then dropped to 54 yards and one TD last season.

Pickett took over in Week 4 last season and held the starting job the rest of the way, finishing his rookie year with more interceptions (9) than TDs (7). Tabbed as the most pro-ready QB in last year’s draft, the 20th overall pick didn’t look it early on, though he got better as the year progressed and threw only one pick over the final eight weeks. He didn’t get much help along the way. Pickett’s average target depth (8.2 yards) was middle of the pack, while his YPA was 6.2, second worst in the league, thanks in part to a league-low 4.0 YAC average from his teammates. Pickett also suffered through an 11.9 dropped-pass percentage, fourth highest. The Steelers only added a post-prime Allen Robinson this offseason, and Diontae Johnson seems miscast as a No. 1 WR after failing to score on 147 targets last year. George Pickens, however, topped 800 yards as a rookie last year, and TE Pat Freiermuth went over 700 (neither got many chances near the goal line). Speaking of which, Pickett's league-low 10.9 TD pass percentage in the red zone can only go up. The Steelers are likely to be run-first again with RB Najee Harris leading the charge, but Pickett will contribute some rushing of his own after averaging 18.2 yards per game and running for three scores last year.

The 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, Pickett was viewed as the most pro-ready QB in the class. He gets good velocity on his passes even if he doesn’t have elite arm strength, and his ball placement and accuracy, including deep-ball accuracy, won raves from scouts. But questions remain because Pickett only blossomed as a fifth-year senior after four undistinguished years at Pittsburgh. He also has smaller hands (8.5 inches) than any QB in the league. Nevertheless, Pickett will compete with free-agent signee Mitch Trubisky for the starting job. Trubisky is not formidable, and the Steelers figure to go with Pickett at some point. If so, he’ll have a good crop of receivers to target in Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, TE Pat Freiermuth and rookie WR George Pickens. But the offense likely will be run-heavy behind Najee Harris, limiting passing attempts and relying on defense to win games.