Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers made it clear to reporters that the team is moving forward with the idea of starting Mason Rudolph at quarterback in Week 17. But if it were up to second-year signal caller Kenny Pickett, he would play instead.
“I always try to push myself,” Pickett told reporters on December 27, via TribLive.com’s Chris Adamski. “It’s the trainers, it’s the coaches, it’s what they see me moving and how they want to go about it [the quarterback position].”
Pickett underwent ankle surgery on his right ankle on December 4. The original recovery timetable for Pickett, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, was two to four weeks.
The Steelers will face the Seattle Seahawks on December 31, which is one day shy of the four-week mark from Pickett’s surgery.
QB Kenny Pickett Says He Didn’t Start in Week 16 Due to Mobility Concerns
Ahead of the December 23 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin left open the possibility of Pickett getting back on the field. But while Pickett returned to practice on December 19, Rudolph started.
Pickett explained to reporters on December 27 that he didn’t play because of mobility concerns.
“We just spoke to Kenny Pickett for the first time since his ankle injury,” WPXI’s Shelby Cassesse wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “He said he feels good, but is taking it day by day based on what trainers are saying.
“He said he was held out last week because of concern over his movement and ability to protect himself.”
We just spoke to Kenny Pickett for the first time since his ankle injury. He said he feels good, but is taking it day by day based on what trainers are saying.
He said he was held out last week because of concern over his movement and ability to protect himself. pic.twitter.com/0DEMsXforc
— Shelby Cassesse (@ShelbyCassesse) December 27, 2023
Given the strong performance Rudolph gave in Week 16, one could argue the Steelers are best served to start Rudolph again in Week 17 unless Pickett is 100%.
Pickett declined to get specific about how well he felt, but he suggested that he didn’t have to feel 100% to be available to start on December 31.
“I can’t give you a percentage, I don’t really know,” Pickett said, via Cassesse. “I mean, like I said, listen to what the trainers are telling me. The way I’m moving and everything, and go from there.
“That’s not my call [about starting if less than 100%]. It’s the trainers’ call.”
Mason Rudolph ‘Got the Ball’ as Steelers Prepare for Seahawks
As he did to heading into Week 16, Tomlin left open the potential for Pickett to return in Week 17. But when talking about Rudolph on December 26, Tomlin did practically everything short of fully naming him the team’s starter for Week 17.
Speaking to reporters, Tomlin was complimentary of Rudolph. Based on what the head coach said heading into Week 16, the Steelers already had confidence in Rudolph. It’s only grown because of what he did against the Bengals.
“Obviously, we have a great deal more comfort because of what we’ve seen in stadium from Mason Rudolph, and that helps us,” Tomlin told reporters. “But we still are really in the same posture.
“He’s got the ball to start the week, and we’ll see where Kenny is from a mobility perspective, and then kind of go from there and plan day-by-day based on the things that we see from that perspective.”
Rudolph completed 17 of 27 passes for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 34-11 victory against the Bengals on December 23. He averaged 10.7 yards per attempt, which was the most for a Steelers quarterback in a game since 2018.
With the victory, Rudolph improved to 6-4-1 in his career as an NFL starter.
Pickett has completed 62% of his passes for 2,070 yards, 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in 12 games this season. He’s averaged 6.4 yards per attempt.
Pickett is 14-10 as an NFL starter in two seasons.
