Of the things learned after Saturday night’s Steelers preseason win over Seattle, the biggest might be that rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has earned a considerable amount of trust, especially for such a young player.
Pickett, after the Steelers scored to go up 23-17 in the third quarter, was sent back out onto the field to attempt a two-point conversion.
Pickett had little hesitation going to his offensive coaches to tell them who he wanted with him on the field, including fellow rookie tight end Connor Heyward, who caught the two-point pass.
“The coaches give me the confidence to do that,” Pickett said. “They want me to be confident with the guys running it. I felt the best with Connor. I wanted him in there, just for that one play.”
“He was like, ‘I want you as the Y (position),’” said Heyward, who has developed a strong bond with Pickett off of the field, as well as on it. “And I was like, ‘you got to tell (tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts).’ Obviously, I want to be there. But as a rookie, I’m not going to demand that.
“Luckily, that paid off. It goes to show that he trusts me for a reason. Hopefully that can continue.”
But some rookies — or at least one — can make those kind of requests, or demands, or however you want to label it.
“They do that for all of the quarterbacks,” Pickett said. “They want us to be comfortable out there and confident in what we’re doing.”
That may be true, that all quarterbacks have gotten that luxury. But Pickett earning the backing of his coaches and the freedom to select his own personnel seems like a nice development.
Pickett ran with the first team, for the first time, on Tuesday during the team’s two-minute drill at Saint Vincent in Latrobe.
He also got an extended look Saturday in the preseason game, and performed well, completing ten straight passes to begin the game.
“I was happy with the decisions I made,” said Pickett, who tossed two touchdowns, including the game-winner before the clock expired. “I thought I played fast and got the ball out of my hand. There were some ball placement things I wish I had back. But I think it’s a really good first game to build on.”
Now, with a few first team reps under his belt, Pickett may be in line for an extended look with the second team Saturday in Jacksonville for the second preseason contest.
“I’m just hoping to go out there and perform, move the offense and put points on the board, like I did last time,” he said. “Whenever I get in there, that’s what I’m focused on doing.“