In 2nd NFL season, QB Kenny Pickett elevated to role as Steelers captain

Kenny Pickett already is ahead of Ben Roethlisberger at one milestone marker of his NFL career.

Pickett was named one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ four team captains Monday, the designation coming in the quarterback’s second NFL season and first as a full-time starter.

Roethlisberger, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and future Hall of Fame selection, didn’t become a team captain until his fifth season with the Steelers.

To some of the Steelers offensive lineman, Pickett was the obvious choice to be the offensive captain after running back Najee Harris and quarterback Mitch Trubisky had that responsibility in 2022.

“The way he approaches each day, the way he grasps the offense, he really has a voice,” left tackle Dan Moore said. “I talk to a lot of guys about it. Kenny has ‘it.’ I don’t know what that ‘it’ is, but he has it.”

Moore, who is entering his third season, said only one other quarterback on his teams — spanning high school, college and the NFL — had that intangible. That would be Roethlisberger, whose path to a captaincy early in his career was blocked by Hines Ward and Alan Faneca. He would become a team captain 13 times, including his final 11 years with the Steelers.

Center Mason Cole indicated he would have been surprised had Pickett not been named a captain.

“We knew it all along,” Cole said. “He’s been a leader since he got here. It’s cool to see him have that role.”

Also named team captains were defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and special teams anchor Miles Killebrew.

The designation is nothing new for Pickett, who was a team captain in his final two years at Pitt.

Still, a year ago, Pickett had just ascended to the backup role after entering training camp of his rookie season as the third quarterback on the depth chart. A month into the season, he replaced Trubisky as the starter and went 7-5, compiling four fourth-quarter comebacks and three game-winning drives.

“He’s a kid who has continued to work his tail off,” said Heyward, whose locker is situated near Pickett’s at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Whether it’s the offseason or in-season, his communication has grown leaps and bounds from last year. With that, there is a leadership role in it, whether it’s challenging guys on the field, holding guys accountable, working on communication, having dialogue back and forth with your guys. That is what a leader should be.”

Coach Mike Tomlin said last week that Pickett had displayed enough growth in his young NFL career to handle the extra responsibility that comes with the quarterback position.

“We talked openly about it during the course of team development,” Tomlin said. “He and I met every morning. … I want to be a part of his growth and development. 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. So, we’re intentionally constructing it.”

Heyward was named a captain for the ninth consecutive season. The Steelers’ oldest player at 34, Heyward is coming off a season in which he reached double digits in sacks for the third time in his career and second year in a row. Heyward also has been the Steelers’ representative for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award five times.

“I think it’s self-explanatory,” defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi said. “Look at Cam, the type of person he is, his dedication to the game. To go into Year 13 and to still be on the incline is a testament to the type of person he is, the type of leader he is. Guys can follow someone like that.”

Watt was named a defensive captain for the third time in seven seasons and second year in a row.

“T.J. has become wise in what he’s done,” Heyward said. “Obviously, he’s a superstar and leads by example the way he goes about his work. But with all of these guys, they are all real workmen.”

Killebrew represents the special teams for the second year in a row. He’s the first back-to-back captain on special teams for the Steelers since Robert Golden was chosen in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons.

“I try to communicate as best I can and make sure everyone is on the same page,” said Killebrew, who is entering his third season with the Steelers and eighth in the NFL. “When we’re out there performing, I like to encourage guys and make sure everyone is celebrating each other’s victories. That’s important because together we eat.”