Ryan Clark praises Kenny Pickett, says Steelers could contend in AFC

The AFC North features two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Maybe it’s time to put Kenny Pickett in that group. And at least one analyst believes the Steelers can elbow their way to the top of the division.

This is all according to ESPN’s Ryan Clark, who, coincidentally, is a former Steeler.

“We’ve seen him move up in the pocket and make throws,” Clark said of Pickett. “We’ve watched him hit George Pickens as well. He is showing us that he’s a complete quarterback. It’s not just about the fake slide or the small hands anymore. … Kenny Pickett is taking over for where Ben Roethlisberger left off and the Pittsburgh Steelers can be a major player in the AFC North and the playoff picture.”

Now, you can view these comments two ways. Clark could be a rah-rah type waving his Terrible Towel. Or, he could have some unique insight into the team because he played there from 2006-13. He’s got a Super Bowl ring thanks to the Steelers victory over Arizona in February 2009.

Football is back—and I’m so thankful to do touchscreens with my brother @Realrclark25

The @steelers offense has a ton of talent on the outside

If their OC and OL take big jumps—their QB may be ready to jump with them@Steelersdepot @bepryor #nfllive pic.twitter.com/AIWsh0q5SG

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 22, 2023

Kenny Pickett plays in an elite quarterback division

But can the Steelers get in there and mix it up with the Ravens and Bengals while holding off the Browns. This is a division of elite quarterbacks with Joe Burrow leading the Bengals and Lamar Jackson excelling for Baltimore. And Deshaun Watson has a season under his belt with the Browns after a long NFL layoff.

So the Steelers likely will need a strong season from Kenny Pickett, who enters his second year in the NFL. Pickett is showing growth this preseason. He’s thrown as many touchdowns as he has incompletions. Coach Mike Tomlin has kept the offense vanilla. But he’s allowed most of his starters to enjoy some early reps in the first two preseason games.

In two games, the Steelers first team offense scored touchdowns on all three of its possessions. In Pickett’s two appearances, he’s completed nine of his 11 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. And like we said, he’s 3-for-3 on touchdown drives. Overall, the Steelers are 2-0, with victories over Tampa and Buffalo. Each game, Pittsburgh has scored 27 points. The Steelers beat the Bills 27-15 this past Saturday and opened the preseason with a 27-17 road victory over the Bucs.

Pittsburgh is trying to better what happened in 2022 when Pittsburgh missed the playoffs in a very uneven season, the first of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. The Steelers started the season at a woeful 2-6. But they turned things around en route to a 9-8 record. Pittsburgh did place itself in the playoff conversation. But on the final day of the regular season, the Steelers lost a wildcard spot in a tiebreaker with the Dolphins.

On Monday, Kenny Pickett told reporters that the Steelers can’t get ahead of themselves.

“It is preseason, man,” he said. “Nothing counts, so it is kind of easy to remain motivated because we haven’t done anything yet. Everybody understands that.”