NFL insider, former NFL doc provide latest insights into Kenny Pickett's knee injury

A rough day for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) got worse Sunday as second-year starting quarterback Kenny Pickett limped off the field in the third quarter after suffering an apparent leg injury in the loss against the Texans. On Monday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport was able to provide an update from the Steelers on what they believe is a minor knee injury.

Pickett is set to undergo an MRI on Monday morning to more specifically diagnose his injury.

“This one is not really fully formed yet, no official injury diagnosis,” Rapoport said. “He’s going to have an MRI. The belief is that this is not a season-ending situation for Kenny Pickett. I would expect his to miss some time… As far as what they’re looking at, it’s not the ACL, but it does seem there’s concern about the MCL, potentially the meniscus. He should be back at some point relatively soon.”

Prior to the injury, Pickett had completed 15-of-23 passes for 114 yards and one interception. The Steelers called on backup QB Mitch Trubisky to step up in the starter’s absence, but it made no difference as Pittsburgh fell 30-6 on Sunday.

Trubisky finished with three completions on five attempts for 18 yards. If the young QB has to miss the game on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, expect Trubisky to take the reins of the offense once again in Week 5.

In seven games (five starts) last season, he threw for 1,252 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. The Steelers went 2-3 in his starts.

Former NFL doctor explains Pickett’s injury

Former Chargers head physician and Sports Injury Center doctor David Chao posted his take on Pickett’s injury on Sunday. He suggests that the quarterback could make a return to play within a few weeks, which means he won’t need to go to IR and miss the mandatory four games.

“You can see that he gets rolled up on on the left knee from the outside in the game against the Texans,” Chao said. “His knee goes inwards. He limps, he exits the game. Very hard to play through an MCL injury because you don’t have side-to-side movement, that’s the bad news.

Steelers Kenny Pickett suffered a sprained MCL. He will miss time, how long? @ProFootballDoc shares his analysis. #HereWeGo

Watch: https://t.co/z1WmTTK8Lf pic.twitter.com/EMGLbVofoK

— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) October 2, 2023

“The good news is that it’s not surgical,” Chao added. “It should not be a long-term injury or injured reserve. He could return with some tape and a brace.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Ravens on Sunday for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.