Pittsburgh Steelers list rookie Kenny Pickett atop quarterback depth chart

PITTSBURGH — The Kenny Pickett era is officially here.

The Pittsburgh Steelers listed their 2022 first-round pick as the starter on the depth chart for Sunday's game at the Buffalo Bills.

Pickett is the first rookie quarterback to start for the team since undrafted free agent Devlin Hodges started in Week 4 of the 2019 season against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Searching for a spark, Mike Tomlin inserted Pickett to replace Mitch Trubisky at halftime of the Steelers' 24-20 loss to the New York Jets. Pickett responded by completing 10 of 13 attempts for 120 yards with three interceptions and two rushing touchdowns.

«With Kenny in there, we were able to be the aggressor,» tight end Pat Freiermuth said Monday. «Obviously, some mistakes are gonna happen, some tipped balls and all that kind of stuff, but we have to continue to work past that and be there for Kenny, especially since he's a young guy.»

In his regular season debut, Pickett averaged 9.2 yards per attempt and 13.2 air yards per attempt, well over Trubisky's season average of 5.6 yards per attempt and 9.9 air yards per attempt.

Prior to entering Sunday's game, Pickett hadn't worked with the first team offense since the preseason, but the Pitt product impressed his teammates with his calm, confident demeanor in the huddle and attitude on the field. Perhaps his most impressive throw came as he completed an 18-yard pass to Freiermuth over the middle on third-and-long as Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams flew unblocked toward him. Pickett got the throw off with pressure in his face and smiled at Williams as he got up from the field.

«He played with swagger,» wide receiver Diontae Johnson said. «When he comes in the huddle, he demands like, 'huddle up, come in,