In making a case for why the Pittsburgh Steelers are an ideal destination for veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger indicated that Kenny Pickett just doesn’t look like a fit for the style of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Cousins is obviously an upgrade over Kenny Pickett. There’s no denying that.
But the other main reason Spielberger argued the Steelers as a landing spot for Cousins was he doesn’t view Pickett as a fit for Smith’s offense.
“Arthur Smith can change, I’m not saying he can’t,” Spielberger said. “But what he does historically, and what Kenny Pickett and this offense has done, not the same thing in any way shape or form.”
Spielberger used outside zone runs and play-action passes as examples. According to the PFF analyst, the Steelers were in the bottom third of both of those categories with Pickett last season. But Smith’s offense with the Atlanta Falcons was ranked in the top 2 in both during 2023.
The Pittsburgh Steelers May Have To Make A Decision on Kenny Pickettt Soo
Even without Spielberger’s research, it doesn’t take much to believe and buy into the notion that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be better with Cousins than if the team continued to stick with Pickett.
The Steelers have enough Pickett samples to decide on whether they’d continue starting him or look for another QB outside of the team. In 25 games, including 24 starts through his two seasons in the NFL, Pickett has passed for 4,474 yards and only 13 touchdowns with 13 picks thrown. In 2023, the Steelers had one of the most anemic offenses in the league, averaging only 17.8 points per game and 187.8 passing yards per outing, 28th and 25th in the NFL, respectively.
