NFL legend and former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher wants Mike Tomlin to stick with Kenny Pickett as the starting quarterback of the franchise, and for good reason.

To recall, Tomlin pulled out and benched starting QB Mitch Trubisky in their Week 4 showdown against the New York Jets. Trubisky struggled in his first three games–managing just two touchdowns in that span–and he even threw an interception on Sunday before he was taken out of the contest.

Tomlin put Pickett in for his first NFL action, and while the rookie QB was not perfect and threw three interceptions, he did have a solid showing with two touchdowns on the ground.

Now that the Steelers head coach made the decision to play Pickett and bench Trubisky, Cowher expressed his belief that it would benefit Pittsburgh if they keep things the way they are now. However, the NFL icon emphasized that it's not because of Trubisky's shortcomings but rather in order to build continuity.

“Every time you pull a quarterback out, you show a little bit of a lack of confidence in the guy. I know you say you need a spark, but you’re getting benched for a reason. I agree with everything that’s happened to this point. I don’t think it’s all the fault of Mitch Trubisky. But you need to do something to give you a spark,” Cowher said, via Post Gazette

“It stagnates your offense to keep going back and forth. You’re going to have to live with some of the growing pains (with Pickett). But, barring injury, I’d never pull him off for a performance. I’m OK with change, particularly early in the season. You gave Mitch 3 ½ games. But I don’t think it’s all on him at all. Matt Canada has to figure out what the identity is with his offense. At this point, I’d stick with Kenny Pickett.”

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Nihad Zunic ·

For what it's worth, there are reports going around that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are moving forward with Kenny Pickett as the starting QB. As Bill Cowher said, it might just be the right move for Pittsburgh considering their situation.

Of course it should be remembered that Pickett is a rookie and will definitely commit a lot of mistakes. However with the youngster considered the future of the franchise and Trubisky just a Bridge QB, it doesn't sound bad to give the freshman the keys to the offense right now and let him grow from first-hand experience.