It's been a forgettable season for Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who find themselves in the the basement of the AFC North after a disappointing 16-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14.
It hasn't been an easy season by any stretch for Pickett; he suffered his second concussion of the year on a first quarter sack and was ruled out of the game shortly after, as the Steelers' fell to 5-8.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Pickett remains in the protocol and his participation in practice this week will be crucial in determining whether he will be an option for Sunday's game in Carolina.
Tomlin said that Pickett initially cleared the protocol after exiting during the team's first series of downs after being sacked by Roquan Smith, according to the Steelers' official site.
Mike Tomlin said he trusts the medical personnel and essentially stated he has no issue w/the league's protocol as it stands.
As @bepryor pointed out, maybe fact KP was taken out after further evaluation means current protocol is working.
To me, it may need a time element added
— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) December 13, 2022
Pickett was re-evaluated after the team's second series and deemed unable to continue in the contest, leaving Mitch Trubisky to finish the game. He remains in the NFL's concussion protocol for the second time this season; he was able to practice while in the protocol during Week 7, and this latest news certainly has him on the wrong side of questionable heading into Week 15.
Tomlin says they don't know yet when Pickett will be back at practice, and the 24-year-old rookie will be speaking with doctors later today.
If the signal caller won't be Kenny Pickett on Sunday, it'll be a committee between Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, who are set to split first-team reps in practice this week if Pickett isn't available for on-field work.
Tomlin confirmed that if Pickett does clear the protocol by Sunday, he'll be the starter against the 5-8 Panthers.
Follow Us
Subscribe