It has been a struggle for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett since the club took him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Pickett had a rather rough rookie campaign, throwing for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 63 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 76.7 across 12 starts. He also rushed for 237 yards and three scores.
Through six games this season, Pickett hasn’t been a whole lot better, totaling 1,257 yards, five touchdowns and four picks while completing 60.9 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 81.3. His rushing numbers are also way down, as he has logged just 12 rushing yards and one score.
Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher thinks a good way to get Pickett going is to get more innovative with the offense.
“When you watch (the offense), as I said before, they’re work in progress,” Cowher said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “It seems like Kenny plays a lot better in the second half of these games. And they can’t get anything going early, which is ironic, because a lot of times you’re able to script your first 12 to 15 plays.”
It should be noted that Cowher said Pittsburgh should not make any midseason changes to its coaching staff, so none of this was a shot at much-maligned offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
“So I think just in scripting this plays … get a little bit more creative,” added Cowher. “I think in getting Diontae Johnson back, Jaylen Warren, these two guys give you a little bit of suddenness on the offensive side of the ball. Getting them into the game early. You have got to get these guys in the game. (George) Pickens … get him into the game.”
Basically, Cowher thinks that the Steelers should spread the ball around a bit more to make things more unpredictable right off the bat.
Pittsburgh actually has a decent receiving corps with Pickens, Johnson and Allen Robinson, so it’s not like there is a shortage of weapons for Kenny Pickett.
The Steelers are 4-2 and will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
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