The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a new era after Ben Roethlisberger‘s retirement.
For close to two decades, he was the undisputed starter for the squad and helped bring two more Super Bowl titles to the proud franchise.
But nagging injuries forced him to call it quits, forcing the Steelers to find his successor.
It seems like they have found his heir apparent in rookie play-caller Kenny Pickett and the league is taking notice.
From 7 to 8 pic.twitter.com/w1gvVycHOp
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2022
The former Pitt Panther turned some heads when he finished his first preseason game by completing 13 of 15 passing attempts for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
One of those touchdowns was a 24-yard strike to Tyler Vaughns with three seconds to play that won the game for the Steelers, 32-25.
It shouldn’t be surprising to see him complete passes like those because that’s what he has been doing since college.
In his final season with the Pitt Panthers, Pickett completed 334 passes for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns while leading his squad to an 11-2 mark.
Those numbers earned him several accolades including ACC Player of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and First-Team All-American.
He also took home the Senior CLASS Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Taking Caution With Pickett’s Performance
Yes, there’s no doubt that Pickett does have football talent.
However, Steelers fans should celebrate his performance with restraint because it was done in the preseason.
Likewise, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks, a team that didn’t make last year’s playoffs.
Still, Pickett’s preseason debut indicates what he can achieve with proper coaching and giving him enough targets.
During the regular season, it might take a while before he takes the field because Mitchell Trubisky is poised to be the starter.
But once he gets his opportunity, Pickett better be ready.
