Terry Bradshaw Once more Blames Steelers For Kenny Pickett’s Struggles: ‘They Did not Even Do Something’

If it wasn’t already obvious, Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw doesn’t think Kenny Pickett’s failures in Pittsburgh are his fault. Instead, the Steelers’ organization is to blame. An opinion he’s shared before, Bradshaw again went after the front office for mis-managing not the pick but all the moves around Pickett.

“Steelers getting rid of Kenny Pickett,” Bradshaw said during a recent Q&A shared on the To The Point – Home Services podcast. “A first-rounder, got rid of him after two years. And they’re still looking for a quarterback. They didn’t even do anything to build around him.”

Pickett was included on a list of quarterbacks Bradshaw rattled off, making the point that once “busts” are surrounded with talent, they’ll play to first-round billing. Bradshaw cited Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield and what Sam Darnold did in Minnesota last year as examples.

Drafted the year after Ben Roethlisberger retired, Pickett entered a time of transition. Pittsburgh had some pieces in place. RB Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth were drafted highly the year before while WR George Pickens was picked the round after Pickett. But the Steelers neglected investing in their offensive line and had football’s worst offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, fired mid-way through Pickett’s second season.

As usual, the reason for Pickett’s struggles are layered. Pittsburgh could’ve done more to give him more help. A stronger running game would’ve benefited him. But Pickett also was a mis-evaluation, a front office caught-up in the “comfort” Pickett brought as the team’s next-door neighbor. One not nearly as accurate as the team believed he’d be.

Still, Bradshaw says the team must invest heavily around a quarterback to receive true payoff.

“You draft a quarterback in the first round,” Bradshaw said. “He is going to be successful. But you’ve gotta surround him with the kind of talent he had in college. And they don’t do it and they call him a bust.”

Some of that is true. Even the best quarterback can’t win on his own. But true franchise players are force multipliers. They make everyone around them better. If a quarterback needs loads of talent to even show glimpses of franchise potential, chances are he isn’t the right guy. Some players fail due to circumstances. Some fail simply because they aren’t good enough. Bradshaw’s axiom that it’s inevitable a quarterback will succeed, “he is going to be successful,” isn’t true and simply put, Pickett sits in more of the latter camp.

After winning a Super Bowl as a backup in Philadelphia, Pickett is competing for a starting job in Cleveland. He could win it. But the Browns aren’t teeming with talent either. WR Jerry Jeudy and rookie RB Quinshon Judkins are pieces and head coach Kevin Stefanski has often gotten the most out of his quarterbacks – Deshaun Watson aside – but if Bradshaw’s point is taken true, Pickett won’t have enough talent around him to revive his career.