Preseason is a time for teams, fans and sports media to get a feel for how the season will shape out, picking out early favorites and making predictions for which players will have a standout year. While many put a lot of stock into how players look in these games, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett isn't one of them.
As he enters his second season, Pickett is showing improvement from last year, but he isn't looking too deep into his preseason performance.
"It is preseason, man," Pickett said (via The Athletic). "Nothing counts, so it is kind of easy to remain motivated because we haven't done anything yet. Everybody understands that."
At the end of the day, he is right, but a solid preseason showing can often be an indication of things to come. For a young quarterback who is still finding his footing in the league, looking comfortable and connected with the offense before the games that do count is a good sign.
"I am not going to lie, it's been good," Pickett said. "We have been keeping [the offense] basic, but we just want to keep executing the offense at the level we are. We just want to continue to do that until we get the full playbook. We have been very vanilla, and we are going to do that until it is time to go. We understand it is just the preseason."
So far in preseason games, Pickett has gone 9-for-11 for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Pickett had an up-and-down year in 2022. He started 12 games in his rookie season, throwing for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns, had nine interceptions and completed 63 percent of his passes. He showed potential at many points last season, and his current level of play is more proof that he can win games in the league.
The Steelers will kick off their season on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers.
