Steelers Promising 1st Round Rookie QB Kenny Pickett Ahead of Week 1: "I need to be ready"

Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 rookie first round quarterback, Kenny Pickett has been nothing short of phenomenal in his first ever preseason action this past August. He has continued to improve since training camp in Latrobe, PA, and many within Steeler Nation think he's the right man for the QB1 job in the Steel City. As the team prepares to take on the division rival, Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at 1pm ET at Paycor Stadium for the season opener, it'll be veteran, Mitch Trubisky who will lead the black and gold to a hopeful first win of the season. Pickett however, knows he needs to be ready if and when he's called upon.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) participates during warm ups at Acrisure Stadium ahead of a preseason bout against the Detroit Lions on August 28, 2022. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)

How Steelers Rookie Quarterback Kenny Pickett Can Still Make a Great Impact in 2022

After speaking with ESPN's Brooke Pryor on Wednesday after practice, Pickett noted that he's not worried about the external noise outside of Pittsburgh's QB room. He's focused on himself and will be ready when called on if need be:

"I just kind of focus on what my job is. I'm definitely not complacent with my job, I'm always trying to get better, always trying to improve and whenever my chance gets called, if it ever does this season, I need to be ready."

As mentioned, Pickett looks more than ready to enter the 2022 regular season, as he was extremely impressive over the course of the last few weeks. He finished with 0 turnovers and had a completion percentage of .805:

When asked about the initial depth chart release from the team that included a "clerical error" days ago, Pickett joked and let the media know that he'd already spoken with head coach, Mike Tomlin. The two have been on the same page about what's expected of Pickett and the former Pitt Panthers standout is embracing it:

"I trust Coach Tomlin a lot, so when he told the team... I knew it was what it was, not what was released obviously, so I was ok. I'm sure you guys had a field day with that. Yeah, I was good with it."

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin takes the field at Acrisure Stadium prior to the 2022 preseason finale against the Detroit Lions on August 28th in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)

As for the officially recently announced QB1 in Trubisky, he's ready to initially lead this offense and see how far he can take this young team. Experience will be his guide as he noted to reporters on Wednesday:

"I had a really good camp. I came in here, a lot of experience, showed I could lead the team, showed I've been playing really well, been throwing the football really well. So, now we go out there, execute on the field."

"A lot of experience. Coming in and learning the offense really quick, coming to a new environment and getting to know the guys, be a leader on the team is just who I am. All my experience has helped me get to this point, and I think it just showed that I'm able to lead this team, be the best man for the job moving forward."

Are yinz ready for Trubisky to take the reins of this new era Steelers offense? And will Pickett be ready when his name is called, if at all in 2022? Make sure to click to comment below!

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