Pittsburgh Steelers bullish Kenny Pickett lists at the top of the middle depth chart

Pittsburgh – IN Kenny Beckett It’s official here.

The Pittsburgh Steelers listed their 2022 first-round pick as a start on the depth chart – before that Mitch Trubesky – For Sunday’s game at the Buffalo Bills.

“I don’t want to take responsibility for what happened at Mitch’s feet,” coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “It’s not fair to him. He played better than that description, but we didn’t. And so to try to be better, to try to score more points, to try to move the ball more fluidly, we decided to go to Kenny hoping he would save We have a spark…not just in terms of our ability to move the ball, but only in terms of energy.

“And so hopefully that will motivate us as we try to move forward and change the outcome of some of these games.”

Beckett will be the first rising midfielder to start with the team since free agent Devlin Hodges started six games in the 2019 season.

In search of a spark, Tomlin Beckett entered to replace Trubesky in the first half of the Steelers’ 24-20 loss to the New York Jets. Beckett responded by completing 10 of 13 attempts for 120 yards, with three interceptions and two rushing touchdowns.

And even after considering returning to Trubisky due to his knowledge as a former Bills backup, Tomlin sticks with Pickett as the Steelers enter the toughest stretch of the season starting Sunday at Buffalo.

“We have no reservations about what Kenny might be capable of in terms of the charts,” Tomlin said. “We obviously have a level of concern about the environment we take them in, but we have a level of concern about which quarterback you take into that environment versus that defense and that place.

“Kenny has shown us maturity at every point during the process. He’s older than most beginners, and obviously this was discussed before the draft process, and the things we value in him, from a draft perspective: smooth, fast decision making, pro anticipation and things like that Proven to be true.”

In his regular season debut, Beckett averaged 9.2 yards per attempt and 13.2 yards per attempt, well above Trubisky’s season average of 5.6 yards per attempt and 9.9 yards per attempt.

“With Kenny there, we were able to be the aggressor,” Court End Pat Freermouth Monday said. “Obviously some mistakes are going to happen, some dribble balls and all that kind of thing, but we have to keep working after that and be there for Kenny, especially since he’s young.”

In the end, Tomlin said, it was a gut feeling that prompted the switch.

“Mitch’s performance was one component of the decision, but it wasn’t the only component of the decision, and I just want to be really clear there,” Tomlin said. “Often a midfield position gets a lot of credit, a lot of blame.”

Tomlin added, “I don’t know if there’s something in particular. It’s just how I felt, how we felt inside the game. I think we also talked last week, How do you know you’re there? And I said, ‘You kind of know when you’re there.” I guess. That this is probably the perspective I have on the decision-making component of it.”

Before entering Sunday’s game, Beckett hadn’t tackled a first-team attack since pre-season, but Pitt’s producer impressed his teammates with his calm, confident demeanor in crowds and attitude on the pitch. Perhaps his most impressive throw came when he completed an 18-yard pass to Freiermuth over center in a third and long defensive tackle. Quinn Williams Unblocked flew towards him. Beckett got to throw the ball with pressure on his face and smiled for Williams as he got up from the field.

“He played with ostentation”, wide receiver Deontay Johnson Monday said. “When he comes to the rally, he asks like, ‘Crowd, come, listen.’ Everyone respects him. He’s a great player, he’s young, and he’s going to keep learning and developing. Our job is to make him look good and help him stay comfortable while he’s there.”

Beckett, 24, was the first first-round quarterback to be selected by the Steelers since the organization picked Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.

The Steelers (1-3) drafted Beckett 20 overall with the goal of eventually making him the franchise quarterback, but he entered pre-season as the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart behind Trubisky – who was signed in free agency – and backup. For a long time Mason Rudolph.

Beckett struggled in the early weeks of camp, but cut his stride in the first pre-season game, when he completed 13 of 15 attempts for 95 yards with two touchdowns—including a game-winning campaign against the Seattle Seahawks. He finished preseason with a completion percentage of 80.6 and averaged 7.3 yards per attempt.

Despite this, the Steelers were so assertive about starting Trubisky due to his veteran experience and leadership that the team voted him as captain. Tomlin said he will remain captain and fulfill the responsibilities of the role, including going out for a coin toss.

Trubisky struggled and offense for the first three and a half weeks, and their offensive output hovered near the bottom of the league as they averaged 18 points per game.

Although Tomlin called for patience and noted encouraging signs of offensive improvement after Thursday night’s loss to the Jets, he ultimately opted to bring in his rookie at the end of the first half.

Beckett, for his part, showed leadership and confidence after Sunday’s loss and vowed to help stop the attack.

“I suspect [I have] It’s a bit of a stretch for me,” Beckett said. “I want to clear that on everyone. I want us to have a stand when he’s out on the field. I’m excited to get back to work, and get us back on the right track.”