Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is the only QB to have a passing touchdown rate under 2% since the inception of the Super Bowl era in 1966.
The pool of QBs that qualify for that statistic with 500+ career passes includes 335 present and former NFL players. New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes are the only two players in the top 10 that played after 1975 with a 6.2% rate and a 6.1% rate, respectively.
There are only five players that are currently playing in the NFL right now that crack the top 25. The Pittsburgh Steelers backup QB in 2023 Mitch Trubisky has nearly double the passing touchdown rate of Pickett with a 3.8% rate.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett did not take a big jump in his sophomore season
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s sophomore season could be considered a regression by some. He went from having 2,404 yards passing in 2022 to having 2,070 yards passing in 2023 with just one fewer game played.
His completion rate dropped slightly from 63% to 62%, and he went from throwing seven touchdowns in 2022 to six touchdowns in 2023. The one significant area of improvement that might overshadow the other statistical regressions is the fact that he went from nine interceptions to four interceptions.
Many fans would like to see the Pittsburgh Steelers move on from Kenny Pickett despite the small sample size.
Former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert believes the NFL overuses analytics. #Steelers
"We had analytic people, and I used to challenge them. I said, ‘when you guys can, let me know when you can measure the intangibles."https://t.co/NgGLMYeg3j
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) February 14, 2024
If Kenny Pickett is the Steelers quarterback in 2024 imma just… pic.twitter.com/TLBAVfSPED
— B (@nolimit__b56) February 14, 2024
Kenny Pickett is the only QB in the Super Bowl Era with a passing TD rate under 2% among 335 dudes who attempted 500+ career passes
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 15, 2024
The Pittsburgh Steelers could try to “light a fire” under Kenny Pickett by adding competition in the QB room
Pickett has gone 14-10 as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and head coach Mike Tomlin told The Athletic that one way they will try to make him better is by adding competition.
There will be competition,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said last month. “There’s always competition in this thing. We don’t anoint anyone. (Pickett) will be challenged from a competition perspective moving forward. Competition brings the best out in all of us.”
The Steelers are the odds on favorite to make a trade for Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields. The consensus around the league is that the Bears are moving on from Fields and taking USC Trojans prospect Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. Legitimate competition like Fields could spark a big jump for Pickett in year three.
Fields threw for nearly 500 yards more than Pickett in 2023, despite playing in just one more game. His 16 passing touchdowns in 2023 is more than Pickett has thrown in his entire career. Fields also adds a rushing upside that Pickett does not have as he ran for 1,143 yards in 2022.
One thing Pickett has over Fields is an ability to take care of the ball. Fields has thrown at least nine interceptions in every year that he has played, while Pickett dropped his interception count to four in 2023. Fields also has 16 fumbles in his career, and a methodical defensive team like the Steelers cannot afford a high rate of turnovers.
Fields’ significant improvement in the passing game over the last three years could see him be a solid QB for a team in need in 2024, but it could also spark a big year-three jump from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round draft pick.
