When the Philadelphia Eagles acquired Kenny Pickett from the Pittsburgh Steelers this past offseason, the hope was that the trade would provide a fresh start for the former first-round pick.
But to this point in training camp, Pickett appears to be struggling according to a report from Sports Illustrated‘s Noah Strackbein.
The report from SI cites insight from Eliot Shorr-Parks, who covers the Eagles for 94.1 WIP. According to Shorr-Parks, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Tanner McKee could surpass Pickett on Philadelphia’s depth chart to become the primary backup to starter Jalen Hurts.
“Might be time to have the Tanner McKee over Kenny Pickett discussion,” Shorr-Parks wrote on X. “Would be very curious to see them both get reps with the 1st team offense just to see who does better. It might be McKee.”
Might be time to have the Tanner McKee over Kenny Pickett discussion
Would be very curious to see them both get reps with the 1st team offense just to see who does better. It might be McKee
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) August 4, 2024
The Steelers originally selected Pickett out of Pitt with the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Appearing in 25 games (24 starts) over the course of two seasons with the team, the 2021 ACC Player of the Year completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
This past offseason, the Steelers acquired quarterbacks Russell Wilson — and later, Justin Fields — prompting Pickett to request a trade. The Eagles proceeded to acquire the 26-year-old signal-caller and a 2024 fourth-round pick from Pittsburgh in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.