The Pittsburgh Steelers have have named their young rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, who made his first NFL appearance against the New York Jets in Week 4, as their Week 5 starter against the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Mike Tomlin made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
Pickett, 24, was the Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. They’d signed former Chicago Bears/Buffalo Bills QB Mitch Trubisky to be their starter over the offseason, but with Pickett waiting in the wings, it was clear Trubisky was just a short-term solution, and wasn’t in their long-term plans.
The short-term ended for Trubisky on Sunday, when Tomlin benched him after halftime in what would end up being a 24-20 loss to the Jets. Pickett started the second half, and completed 10 of 13 passes for 120 yards by the end of the game, but also threw three interceptions — one of which was on his very first drive. He also had six carries for 15 yards and two rushing touchdowns.