Kenny Pickett is expected to become the new starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers following his NFL debut on Sunday.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Steelers will "move forward" with Pickett in place of Mitch Trubisky and that head coach Mike Tomlin could announce the change Tuesday.
The Steelers selected Pickett with the 20th overall pick in this spring's NFL Draft — out of the University of Pittsburgh — and his debut was inevitable. But the Steelers opted to play the veteran Trubisky to start the season in place of Ben Roethlisberger, whose retirement ended nearly two decades of stability at the position in Pittsburgh.
However, in Sunday's loss to the Jets, Trubisky threw a pick at the end of the first half and when the Steelers returned from the locker room, Pickett was lining up behind centre. His debut was a mixed bag — 120 yards on 10-13 passing with three picks and two rushing touchdowns — but with the Steelers now at 1-3, waiting for the future doesn't make much sense anymore.
“We just thought we needed a spark,” Tomlin said of the switch after the game, without revealing who will start next week.
The Steelers next travel to Orchard Park to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
With files from The Associated Press.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.