The Pittsburgh Steelers play their first preseason game Friday at Tampa.
How much should Kenny Pickett participate? How many snaps should the Steelers quarterback get over the entirety of the three-game exhibition slate?
My suggestion would be: a lot. The reality will be: not very many. A few series.
NFL teams act like their starting quarterbacks are made of glass during exhibition play. With rare exception, they barely get on the field.
The logic is unassailable: If your starting quarterback gets hurt, it’s crippling.
But Pickett has played just 13 NFL games and wasn’t asked to be very adventurous in most of those.
When Joey Porter Jr. covers George Pickens at training camp, we’re told that “iron sharpens iron.” Reps + being challenged = improvement.
The same could be said of Pickett getting relatively extensive work in exhibition games. Try some different things. Let him get sharp.
Might potential reward be worth the risk? Pickett needs to come out hot when the regular season begins. The Steelers can’t start bad like last year. (Like four out of the last five years.)
I’d play Pickett at least a full half in each of the first two exhibition games, then re-evaluate before the third.
Pickett had a great preseason last year: 29 for 36, three touchdowns vs. zero interceptions, 124.7 passer rating. But he didn’t open the season as the starter. Rookies always get a lot of snaps.
The Steelers will play it safe with Pickett. Just like the rest of the NFL does with starting quarterbacks in the preseason. One size fits all.
