The Pittsburgh Steelers are in an AFC North that is jam-packed right now with talent at the quarterback position. 2019 AP NFL Most Valuable Player Award winner Lamar Jackson is back with the Baltimore Ravens, as his offseason drama with the team ended in a five-year contract. Joe Burrow finished fourth in the voting for that same award in 2022 and is part of a very dangerous Cincinnati Bengals offense that is looking to make its second Super Bowl before Burrow gets paid. Deshaun Watson showed rust after returning from his suspension in 2022 with the lowest passing yards per game of his career, but with a full offseason, could be closer to the force he was when he led the league in passing yards in 2020. Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett faces a tough challenge to match the others statistically.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett makes a throw on the run during 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Despite Pickett drawing all kinds of praise this offseason and is expected to take a second-year leap, recent statistical projections for all the quarterbacks in the league from Bleacher Report's Alex Kay have Pickett near or at the bottom of most of the categories.
How Steelers Pickett Stacks Up Against Competitive 3 In AFC North
Don Wright / AP Photo
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) eludes Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Chris Wormley (95) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Pittsburgh.
It should be no surprise that Burrow tops the division in projected passing yards with 4,532, projected passing touchdowns with 38, and a projected completion percentage of 68%. He's got the ability as Kay notes to "put up eye-popping numbers on a weekly basis," citing his big game against the Atlanta Falcons and the second meeting with the Steelers where he threw for four scores.
Kay projects Pickett to throw for 3,681 yards, and 22 touchdowns, with a completion percentage of 65%. That puts him ahead of Jackson who despite projections that "may result in a career-best passing display from the 26-year-old signal-caller," still finishes with 3,302 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 63%.
Watson slots in second in passing yards with 3,732 projected, while tying Jackson for the number of scores with a 65% projected completion percentage. As Kay notes, Watson had his best performances for the Browns down the stretch, so maybe it's a sign of things to come.
Terrance Williams / AP Photo
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the first half of a game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, in Baltimore
When it comes to dual-threat ability, Jackson is king. He's already passed Michael Vick for most games with over 100 yards rushing and in just five seasons is fifth amongst quarterbacks for career rushing yards. Kay projects he'll have 142 carries for 987 yards to push his total touchdowns on the season to 36. He expects Watson to be the second-most active rusher with 105 carries for 502 yards and five scores. He figures Burrow and Pickett to be the least active as runners with only 69 and 52 carries each, respectively. That would be a slight drop for Burrow after posting a career-high 75 carries in 2022. For Pickett, that number seems quite low as he rushed 55 times in his 13 games. Sure it was college, but Pickett got a rule written for the most famous run of his career to date.
It might not be too surprising to see Pickett post low passing numbers if the Steelers continue to use him in a game manager, 'don't make mistakes' kind of way. If he and Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada can find a way to develop a more comprehensive passing attack maybe he can do better than what's projected.
What did you think of the projections? Any player's you think are completely wrong? Comment below!
#SteelerNation
