The Steelers are starting the season with Kenny Pickett as their No. 2 quarterback. But distraught fans and pundits shouldn't be that upset.
History says he won't be inactive on game days for long.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell shared a graphic outlining recent first-round quarterbacks who didn't start Week 1. The list includes MVPs and Super Bowl winners — Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson — and other elite passers (Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, Justin Herbert).
Out of the 19 quarterbacks listed, nine saw the field prior to Week 5. With that in mind, Barnwell surmises Pickett could be under center for the Steelers' Week 4 contest against the Jets, which takes place 10 days following their Thursday night affair against the Browns.
The mini-bye coupled with a weak opponent seemingly presents the perfect opportunity to get Pickett acclimated.
Pickett was impressive during the preseason, completing 19-of-22 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was a strong follow-up performance to his sensational senior campaign at Pitt, in which he passed for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and led the Panthers to their first ACC title.
At 24 yers old, and with five college seasons under his belt, Pickett comes with more experience than most rookies. That's why he's expected to play early, despite his current standing on the depth chart.
Longtime NFL Insider Peter King predicts the Steelers will switch to Pickett by mid-October, while Adam Schefter said recently the Steelers are going to tap Pickett "at some point during the season."
Of course, Mitchell Trubisky, a first-round pick himself, could conceivably fend off Pickett with a strong start to the season. But if the Steelers brass is determined to play Pickett, they could pull Trubisky at the first sign of trouble.
Remember: Jared Goff started the 2016 season as No. 3 on the Rams' depth chart, and Mahomes was No. 3 on Kansas City's depth chart as well.
Expect Pickett to follow a similar path.
