Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett has not taken the field since Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals. He injured his ankle in that matchup and underwent a TightRope procedure to fix it.
He was able to return to practice last week in a limited capacity, taking part in individual drills. While he said that he was making progress, there were still concerns about his mobility and ability to protect himself on the field, so he was ruled out for the team’s eventual victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
“We just spoke to Kenny Pickett for the first time since his ankle injury. He said he feels good, but is taking it day by day based on what trainers are saying.
“He said he was held out last week because of concern over his movement and ability to protect himself,” wrote WPXI’s Shelby Cassesse wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
NFL News & Rumors: Mike Tomlin, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
While Pickett did not put a percentage on how healthy he was, he did hint at the fact that he didn’t need to be 100 percent to be on the field. Ultimately, that is a call that the training staff will be making, not Pickett’s.
However, based on comments made by head coach Mike Tomlin earlier this week, it sounds as if the team will be rolling with Mason Rudolph for the second straight game. Rudolph was excellent against the Bengals last weekend, throwing for 290 yards and two touchdowns in his first start since 2021.
That performance likely provided the team with a lot of confidence that he can get the job done once again in another big matchup on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. Alas, Pickett doesn’t sound thrilled about potentially having to sit out another week.
“I always try to push myself,” Pickett told reporters on December 27, via TribLive.com’s Chris Adamski. “It’s the trainers, it’s the coaches, it’s what they see me moving and how they want to go about it [the quarterback position].”
NFL News & Rumors: Mike Tomlin, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
Could there be a quarterback controversy brewing in Pittsburgh? If Rudolph defeats the Seahawks, it would be hard to bench him in the regular season finale against the Baltimore Ravens after two straight wins.
But, for that to even be under consideration, the Steelers have to handle business in Seattle first. Tomlin will start whoever he believes gives the team the best chance to win, and if Pickett isn’t deemed healthy enough to do that, it will be Rudolph under center for the time being.
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