Steelers’ Cam Heyward calls Kenny Pickett a ‘hungry quarterback,’ has high hopes for him: ‘Sky’s the limit’

This time last year, Kenny Pickett was a rookie quarterback working behind Mitchell Trubisky in the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ quarterback room. He remained behind Trubisky for only a few weeks, though, and assumed the starting job for good by Week 5. 

Pickett’s rookie season was up and down, as he completed 63% of his passes at an average of only 6.2 yards per attempt with seven touchdowns against nine interceptions, but was a bit more consistent over the latter portion of the season and flashed some playmaking ability on out-of-structure plays as time wore on.

One player he obviously impressed was teammate Cameron Heyward, who has seen his fair share of quality quarterbacks during his time in the league. 

“If you look at December and January, anytime it wasn’t going his way, it never felt like he was out of sorts, or it felt like the moment was too big for him,” Heyward said during an appearance on the 3 and Out podcast. “You could look at the Baltimore game and, you know, I don’t think they’ve given up a score in the fourth quarter for some like amount of quarters, which was crazy. He goes down and puts together a drive and you just see here; there it wasn’t just one person. He was feeding everybody.

“Then you look at that Christmas game versus the Raiders and that was a little bit of the same. So, every time we’ve needed a big drive at the end of a game, he was able to answer the call and answer the bell. I just look forward to him not waiting for the fourth quarter, let’s get off the bus doing that. I think we’ll have a lot more success that way.”

As for what the future holds for Pickett, Heyward seems confident. 

“Going into the second year of our quarterback, the sky’s the limit for him,” he said. “I think Kenny’s done a tremendous job to get us to this point. But I know he’s chomping at the bit for more. He’s a hungry quarterback and to surround him with a lot of moving parts, whether that’s another wide receiver in Allen Robinson or more depth at the O-line, and I think just solidifying that group can do wonders for him. If he has time back there and able to process a little bit more, I think he’s going to have a lot of success going forward.”

The Steelers are certainly looking for Pickett to take a step forward in his second season, as many quarterbacks tend to do. In a division featuring Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Deshaun Watson under center, this team will likely need high-level quarterback play to be competitive over the next several years. Given that they used a first-round pick on him, hopes are certainly high. Now, it’s up to Pickett to make those hopes into reality.