Steelers HC Mike Tomlin: Kenny Pickett Team's QB1 Moving Forward, But Is He The 'Franchise QB'?

The organization and all of Steeler Nation saw Pickett grow up on the field as he cut down on turnovers and gained a better understanding of what it takes to be a starting quarterback at the highest level of the sport. On Monday, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin expressed his confidence in the former University of Pittsburgh signal-caller going forward, but was hesitant to put a label on it:

“I don’t know what you guys mean by ‘franchise quarterback.’ Is he our QB1? Yes,” Tomlin said to the media on Monday as the team starts to embark on off-season evaluation. “There’s a lot of silly responsibility that comes with that term. Everybody thinks they have one, but not everyone has one. He’s our starting quarterback and I’m not going to saddle him with that cliche that’s over used in our business.”

Growth of Steelers Future QB1

Some of Pickett’s late-game heroics against the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens earned high praise with some even making the comparison between the 24-year-old and one of the league’s best in Patrick Mahomes. While it’s always good to be mentioned with the top names in the league, Pickett’s game will still require more work before he will be in those kinds of conversations week in and week out. Pickett hasn’t even hit 400 passing attempts and doesn’t have a game with multiple passing touchdowns.

The team’s day one free agency signing in Mitch Trubisky got the majority of the first team reps in the off-season and played himself out of the starting job against the New York Jets. While perhaps not an ideal situation, Tomlin was impressed with how the rookie handled it and said as a knee jerk reaction was happy with how he dealt with the situation:

“…When he had opportunity, he showed he belonged and continued to get better in that space,” Tomlin said of Pickett. “As I look back at it, I don’t know that I have any second thoughts or regrets about the process or how it’s transpired.”

The veteran head coach is looking forward to what will come along for his QB1 with a full off-season of growth and more time in a professional environment:

“I think his development is a process. I thought it took off when he started getting into stadiums in the preseason,” he said. “We value the growth between year one and year two. They’ve had a lap around the track. All of those things that encompass the experience that is a rookie season and is a good springboard to get better.”

The stats, according to The33rdTeam.com, say a step up from year one to year two is to be expected and the continued growth Pickett showed in leading the team after the bye week to a 7-2 would suggest he will be able to be a capable starter in year two.

So, Steeler Nation, do you agree with Tomlin in his assessment? Are you ready to label Pickett a franchise guy after year one?