Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw defended Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett, saying the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to provide adequate support after drafting him in the first round in 2022.
In an episode of the “To The Point-Home Services” podcast released July 1, Bradshaw said teams that have drafted quarterbacks early had not given them the help they needed to succeed, mentioning Pickett as a prime example.
“I’ve always said that if you draft a quarterback in the first round, he is going to be successful, but you’ve got to surround him with the kind of talent he had in college,” Bradshaw said. “When they don’t do it and they call him a bust. Baker Mayfield is in Tampa Bay playing great now because he has talent around him. The Steelers got rid of Kenny Pickett, a first rounder, after two years and they’re still looking for a quarterback. They didn’t even do anything to build around him. Sam Darnold goes into Minnesota. Look at all those weapons and look what happened.”
When Pickett, an Ocean Township native, started in Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys during his time with the Eagles last season, it was the most talent he had been surrounded with in his career, with wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and running back Saquon Barkley. Before leaving the game in the third quarter because of a rib injury, he completed 66.7% of his passes (10 of 15) for 143 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another touchdown.
Now with the Browns, Pickett enters the final year of his rookie contract with a chance to be the full-time starter and earn a contract extension after the Eagles traded him this offseason. However, if he wins the four-man QB competition by beating Joe Flacco and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, he will be in a similar situation as he was with the Steelers because he would be working with limited offensive weapons.
His top receiving targets this season would be wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and tight ends David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr., with questions surrounding the other players.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.