Kenny Pickett given clean injury designation, on track to be Steelers’ QB2 vs. Ravens

Kenny Pickett was a full participant at each of the three Pittsburgh Steelers practices this week and carries no injury status designation headed into Saturday’s regular-season finale at the Baltimore Ravens.

Pickett is on track to be in uniform and serve as the backup to Mason Rudolph for a game in which the Steelers would greatly improve their playoff hopes with a victory.

Pickett as a pro has four times dressed for a game without starting it — each of the first four games of his career in September and October of last year. After opening the season as the backup to Mitch Trubisky, Pickett replaced Trubisky at halftime of the Oct. 2, 2022, home game against the New York Jets.

Pickett started 24 of the Steelers’ next 25 games until suffering an ankle injury during a Nov. 2 loss earlier this season. Pickett underwent “tightrope” surgery the next day and missed the next four games.

In the interim, Trubisky got benched for Rudolph, who strung together a two-game stretch of performances better than any Pickett has since entering the league as the No. 20 overall draft pick last year. Coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Rudolph has earned the start Saturday.

Pickett was not in uniform for this past Sunday’s win at the Seattle Seahawks. Tomlin said Picket was medically cleared but cited a lack of practice reps for why Pickett was not the No. 2 or No. 3 QB. Dressing him as the “emergency” third quarterback would not have affected the Steelers’ gameday roster at any other position.

It is expected that Trubisky will be the emergency QB3 in Baltimore on Saturday.

While a variety of scenarios exist that will qualify the Steelers for the postseason, the simplest involves a win in Baltimore combined with a loss by either the Buffalo Bills (at the Miami Dolphins) or the Jacksonville Jaguars (at the Tennessee Titans).

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.