Everyone’s Behind Kenny Pickett
Photo Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Kenny Pickett’s intangibles have never been in question. The heart, drive, work ethic, and leadership qualities are all there. Intangibles were a big reason why Pickett was dubbed the most pro-ready quarterback and now they’re a big reason why he was named a Pittsburgh Steelers captain ahead of the team’s 2023 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
“No disrespect to the leadership of others, but it’s probably more a reflection of everyone’s feel of his growth and development, not only as a player, but as a leader within this collective,” Mike Tomlin said during a press conference on Tuesday. “I think the votes reflected that. They weren’t one-sided and they were reflective of the team’s view of him and his growth and development. So we’re excited about that.”
Pickett is the only offensive player the Steelers named as one of the team’s captains, and that’s no accident. (T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward of the defense and Miles Killebrew from special teams were the other three.) For comparison’s sake, Ben Roethlisberger didn’t become a team captain until his fifth season.
The vote itself is a very positive sign for an organization that is quietly at a very crucial intersection. With two years left on his deal, Pickett ascending into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks wouldn’t just mean that the Steelers have found their guy at the leagues important position, it would mean they have high level skill on a discount with a good roster for the next two years. The Steelers as a team would follow Pickett’s ascension into a go all in Super Bowl window. Pickett’s teammates recognizing the young QB’s growth and leadership is a good sign that that ascension is truly possible.
“Obviously, this is Kenny’s offense and we’re going to go as Kenny goes,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said earlier this summer. “He’s done a great job of leading all of us, and I’m excited to see his role expand.”
None of this comes as a surprise to Pickett’s college head coach, University of Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi, who gave Pickett the captain’s “C” for his final two seasons with the Panthers.
“He’ll lead the Steelers just like he led the Panthers to an (ACC) championship,” Narduzzi said in an interview with Adam Breneman on Next Up in early August. “There’s not a whole lot people don’t know about Kenny, but he’s just a guy that everybody wants to play for. You want to coach him and you want to play for Kenny Pickett.”
Pickett’s rise to team captaincy was meteoric, yet it didn’t happen overnight. It began in earnest during the offseason after his rookie campaign. Tomlin said during a press conference on Aug. 23 that he and Pickett met every day during summer workouts, OTAs, and training camp, discussing a variety of things, including leadership. Tomlin and the Steelers saw the leadership qualities in the young signal-caller early on and wanted to make sure they brought them out of him in the best way possible.
“I want to be a part of his growth and development,” the head coach said. “I’m not going to sit on the side and hope that it happens. It happens in the ways that we need or want it to. And so, we’re intentionally constructing it.”
About to begin his second season, Pickett already looks, talks, and acts like a 10-year veteran. That’s exactly what the Steelers need at QB1 as they take their most complete roster in recent memory into a very competitive AFC.
“I just feel like it’s kind of like a natural transition,” Pickett told reporters during minicamp earlier this summer. “I don’t try to force it. I think I just want to step up when I feel like I need to step up. And we have a lot of great veteran guys on the O-line and young guys in the offense that are all pushing in the same direction. So I think it’s definitely a group effort, but I’ll step up wherever I feel I need to.”
Pickett will surely have plenty of opportunity to do just that this year. As words of positivity about Pickett’s potential swirl through the locker room and prominent NFL media members jump on the Steelers bandwagon, the captains vote is just the latest installment in the mounting evidence that shows everyone’s behind Kenny Pickett.
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