Pittsburgh Steelers, huh. So, here they are—up the creek without a paddle when it comes to quarterbacks. No star, no shining beacon on the horizon to take up the mantle. They tried throwing the ol’ football dice with Kenny Pickett back in the 2022 draft, thinking maybe, just maybe, they’d found the heir to Big Ben’s throne. Spoiler alert: not quite. Apparently, now Pickett’s joined the squad over in Cleveland with the Browns possibly set on giving him a shot as their starter. Mary Kay Cabot, who’s got her ear to the ground, says the Browns are buzzing over the guy. Strange world, this.
Anyway, during a chat on something called Talking Heads—why does this remind me of some band?—Cabot spills the beans. She mentions how they all babbled about Pickett at some NFL shindig as if he’s the next big thing. Though, let’s be honest, when Pickett talks about himself, it’s like he’s trying to sell sand in a desert. Cleveland’s chasing that elusive magic—hopes of repeating the whole comeback tale a few guys like Tannehill and Mayfield pulled off after their early rough patches. Sounds kinda desperate, doesn’t it?
Thinking about it, football’s got this quirky pattern, kinda like a folk tale. First-round quarterbacks, seemingly destined for greatness, sometimes topple but then somehow emerge from the ashes with other teams. Hoorah, happy endings. But, let’s face it, the odds for Pickett? Slim. Mayfield, Darnold—these dudes had that je ne sais quoi that screamed potential, the kind scouts scribble notes over. The same couldn’t be said for Pickett. Nope. The 2022 crop wasn’t exactly bursting with quarterback talent, yet the Steelers reached for Pickett like a kid grabbing the last donut just because it’s there.
Oh, and remember who got picked after him? Desmond Ridder. Yeah, he went in the third round. That’s quite the drop, right? Draft season’s never kind on quarterbacks, but 2022 was on another level of meh. Pickett might kinda-sorta-maybe be okay someday, but “lightning in a bottle” for Browns? Hmm, let’s see how that goes down. Especially when he had his try with the Eagles, who had a roster that sparkled. Yet the magic never materialized then, so why bet on it now with a team like the Browns, who aren’t exactly the QB whisperers?
With all that said, though Cleveland’s tossing the dice with Pickett, feels more like wishful thinking than a solid bet. The rub with Pickett is—he’s like an all-round decent student, but never the top of the class. No standout trick, no killer instinct, nothing. Will he ever carve a niche in Cleveland? Maybe, but if history had a say, it’s nodding an emphatic no.
