Eagles Captain Said Team ‘Had to Get the Win’ for Kenny Pickett

While Kenny Pickett didn’t see the field as the Eagles knocked off the Steelers over the weekend, an Eagles captain said he played a major role.

The Steelers mustered just 163 yards on 41 offensive plays, and Eagles cornerback Darius Slay credited Pickett with helping the Eagles defense prepare for what the Steelers were doing on offense while speaking on his podcast, Big Play Slay, Tuesday.

He also said that the Eagles “had to get the win” against the Steelers for the Eagles quarterback.

“Not (Jalen) Hurts, not Hurts,” Slay said. “We’re talking about Kenny, Kenny Pickett, because he’s a great dude. Without Kenny Pickett, I think our defense — I don’t want to say wouldn’t be great because we wanted to be great regardless, but Kenny has been giving us a great look on scout team.

“I’m talking about a damn great look even when we play scrambling quarterbacks, (when) we play guys with strong arms, because he can do it all. He’s got a strong arm, he can run around, he can make plays with his legs, everything. So, he’s done a lot to help us get ready and be ready for these games. So, shoutout to Kenny. We wanted to get this dub for you, too, because we knew how important it was.

“Everybody wants to beat the team that traded them away. Definitely like it was nothing, and his situation was like, hey, they brought in a whole new quarterback, two quarterbacks, another former first round quarterback, so I understand where he’s coming from. But yeah, we did that for you, Kenny. So, shoutout to my boy Kenny for helping us prepare for this week, giving us tips about what to look for because he’s been in that room with them.”

Former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett.

It was a big win for the Eagles, improving to 12-2 and securing another win over an in-state “rival” in the Steelers. Hurts is one of the keys for the Eagles offense, so while Pickett isn’t going to see the field this season unless Hurts goes down with an injury, he’s seemingly settled into his role well.

Pickett has played in a couple of games this season — in clean-up duty at the end of games — and completed 1-of-3 pass attempts for five yards.

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded Pickett to the Eagles on March 16, after spending two seasons with the team. And even through a disappointing tenure with the Steelers, Pickett reflected positively on his time in Pittsburgh.

“(I) gave everything I had there and loved all of my teammates and coaches that I came across — some absolutely great memories that I’ll take forever and lifelong friendships,” Pickett said following the trade. “And just talking to guys after it all went down, grateful that we had the time we had together.”

Pickett was one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2021, completing 334-of-497 pass attempts (67%) for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions — adding 241 yards and five more touchdowns on the ground.

He finished his Pitt career as the all-time leader in passing yards, completions, total offense, touchdowns responsible for and passing touchdowns. He’s thrown the most 300-yard passing games (16) and 400-yard passing games (five) and his 32 wins are the most as a Pitt starter.

Pickett completed 1,045-of-1,674 career passing attempts (just over 62%) for 12,303 yards and 81 touchdowns, to just 32 interceptions, in 52 career appearances (49 starts). He also added 809 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.

He led Pitt to its first ACC title in 2021, earning All-ACC, All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist honors. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.

Pickett threw for 4,474 yards (62.6% completion) with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his 25 games as a Steeler, and while he wasn’t put in the best situation to succeed in the NFL, his lack of production was problematic. The Steelers brought signed Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in March, and it spelled the end for Pickett and the Steelers.

Kenny Pickett may not be the starter in Philadelphia, but he’s waiting in the wings for another opportunity with a good Eagles offense. And clearly, fulfilling his role.