Kenny Pickett believes he’s physically ready to return but defers to Steelers’ trainers, coaches
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Three-and-a-half weeks after undergoing ankle surgery, Kenny Pickett’s right foot has — to a degree — returned to normal. Now, it’s the festering feeling of anxiousness and anticipation that seems to be hindering the Pittsburgh Steelers second-year quarterback.
“It’s obvious,” Pickett said Wednesday. “Any competitor wants to get in there and play. I’m trying to come back as soon as possible.”
One day into the practice week, Pickett was holding out hope that “as soon as possible” is Sunday’s game at the Seattle Seahawks.
Coach Mike Tomlin on Tuesday said that although Mason Rudolph would begin the week taking first-team reps at quarterback, the team’s braintrust would spend the week with a close eye on Pickett’s readiness.
Pickett was tactful but clear that he believed he was healthy enough to play in Seattle.
“I feel like I could,” Pickett said. “I always try to push myself. It’s the trainers. It’s the coaches. It’s what they see me moving and how they want to go about it.”
Now up at #BreakfastWithBenz–Kenny Pickett's injury provides cover more than it does strategy for Mike Tomlin https://t.co/dCcFZ8hkkY Starting Rudolph regardless of Pickett's health is an obvious choice @TribLIVE @TribSports
— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) December 27, 2023
Among the 17 questions Pickett was asked Wednesday during his first media session since five days before suffering his injury late in the first half of a Dec. 3 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals, nine were in some way related to his injury and/or playing status.
Each of the nine times, Pickett referenced “the trainers” in some manner, deferring judgment of his readiness to them.
“(The ankle) feels good,” he said at one point. “Taking it a day at a time. Listening to what trainers are saying and coaches are saying.
“They have (a) plan for me. I’m going by what they tell me. … “It feels like I’m on track with what I need to do. It’s really not how I feel. It’s what they see me doing, how they feel like I’m looking and moving around.”
Pickett was asked if anything in particular, at this point, was holding him back from performing.
“No. Up to the trainers.”
Could he assign a percentage to the level of his ankle’s health?
“I can’t give you a percentage. It’s just listening to what the trainers are telling me, how I’m moving and everything and going from there.”
Does Pickett feel the need to be 100% before he can play?
“No, that’s not my call. That’s the trainers’ call.”
Pickett’s status this week is similar to how he spent last week, after which Tomlin demoted erstwhile No. 2 QB Mitch Trubisky and said Rudolph would start if Pickett could not play.
Pickett was not in uniform for this past Saturday’s 34-11 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Echoing what Tomlin had said, Pickett said the decision to make him inactive was because coaches had deemed he was not able to move and protect himself well enough to perform in an NFL game.
Kenny Pickett on the relationships in the Steelers QB room pic.twitter.com/1FXfvtdvIs
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 27, 2023
Pickett, though, joined with Trubisky, quarterbacks coach/play-caller Mike Sullivan and assistant quarterbacks coach David Corley in providing a sideline sounding board of advice for Rudolph that he clearly appreciated.
“They were very helpful,” Rudolph said. “Got a lot respect and enjoy their company. No matter who is playing, there has been great communication. Everyone is truly trying to make the other person better, find a nugget if they see something, suggest something that truly is going to help us out, as opposed to there have been other times where it hasn’t been as cohesive of a group and people aren’t as forthcoming with, ‘Hey, how do we help?’ They’ve been great.”
Pickett complimented Rudolph’s consistency throughout their two years sharing a position room, noting Rudolph’s preparation never wavered even when he was the QB3.
This week, Pickett’s teammates are saying the same sorts of things about him.
“He’s preparing as if he’s going to play, actually,” receiver Diontae Johnson said. “I’ve seen him take extra reps whenever he’s not going. I get a few reps with him, just like he’s playing. I don’t see nothing different.
“He’s still got the spin on the ball. His footwork looks great. I don’t see nothing holding him back. He looks good to me.”
Johnson noted that his opinion on Pickett’s physical health doesn’t matter, and it will be others who make that call. Aside from saying it “never, ever” has been a consideration that he shut down for the season because of his ankle, Pickett seems to have accepted the reality that if and when he returns to game action this season is entirely in the hands of the team’s coaching and training staffs.
“They are just taking it day by day,” he said. “Communication-wise, there’s nothing looking down the road. It’s literally when I show up and how I look moving. It’s how well they feel I’m doing. It’s up to them.”