Ex Steelers QB Kenny Pickett Trade Bait Again?

Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason. The original thought was that the Pittsburgh product would be the backup to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Pickett has been subpar in his opportunities this preseason while the Eagles sixth-round pick from a year ago, Tanner McKee, has shined in his.

On Thursday night, he was 11-for-13 for 67 yards and couldn’t sustain drives when it mattered.

In two preseason games, Pickett is 0-for-6 on passes over 10 yards. The former Steelers starter has a high completion percentage, but all of his passes are check-downs. Partly because of pressure, and partly because he is scared to take chances downfield.

His two incompletions on Thursday night were both deep passes down the left side right against the boundary, neither pass was catchable.

So that begs the question, could the Eagles trade Pickett and move McKee up the depth chart?

Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy had season-ending knee surgery this week. The starter as of now is Sam Darnold, but the Vikings could be looking for something different.

There’s no doubt that Pickett would love to have the opportunity to start in the NFL again. The two teams match up next week in the year's final preseason game.

Pickett would get the chance to step into an offense with playmakers around him and a creative head coach in Kevin O’Connell. Coaches that come off of the Sean McVay coaching tree have a knack for working with quarterbacks.

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O’Connell is a former NFL quarterback himself and could work wonders with Pickett if given the opportunity.

Following two seasons in Pittsburgh that were disappointing, to say the least, Pickett has yet to show any flash in the postseason. Watching him with the Eagles is a bit of vindication for the Steelers whose offense sputtered with him under center.

It’s also a validation of just how good this defense is. They dragged Pickett’s poor play to a 10-win season a year ago with multiple injuries. With everyone healthy this season, the Steelers' defense should be dominant.

The Steelers moved on from Pickett, and the Eagles could too, and we wouldn’t blame them.