After Terry Bradshaw retired, the Steelers waited 20 years to draft their next potential franchise quarterback. After Ben Roethlisbeger retired, the Steelers wasted no time. In the very next draft, they used their first-round pick on Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Just two seasons later, the Steelers pulled the plug on the Pickett experiment, sending him to Philadelphia for a fairly modest return.
The move comes not long after the Steelers were focused on moving forward with Pickett and Mason Rudolph, who started the last three regular-season games (all wins) and a playoff loss to Buffalo. Less than one month ago, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Steelers were not interested in a veteran quarterback who aspires to start. One week ago, that approach dramatically changed, with Dulac (in a potential effort by whoever steered him wrong to make amends) reporting that Russell Wilson was visiting the Steelers.
Now, Rudolph has signed with the Titans and Pickett has been traded and Russ has been introduced as the new starter in the Steel City.
For most teams, it’s no big deal. For the Steelers, it’s a break from how they do things. They’re patient. They don’t make sudden movements. They don’t take big risks. They don’t go all-in — in the normal sense or the Jerry Jones nonsense sense.
They now are. They’ve admitted that Pickett was a mistake. He did nothing spectacular during his two years and 24 starts. His passer rating was an anemic 78.8. He threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
And so the Steelers have stepped aside from their stay-the-course approach and made a bold move. Russ is in. Kenny is out. Mason is gone.
They have one quarterback under contract in Wilson. It remains to be seen who they’ll add. (Ryan Tannehill remains available.)
For now, we know one thing. The Steelers have flipped their own script on how they do things. It will be interesting to see whether it’s an aberration or the start of a new trend.
