Kenny Pickett wants the Steelers to mimic the Bengals in one area
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett wants the franchise to mimic the Cincinnati Bengals in one specific area
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett didn't directly say he wants the front office to mimic the Cincinnati Bengals, but that's essentially what he was getting at back in January.
Pickett has made it known that he would love to play with wide receiver Jordan Addison, his former Pittsburgh Panthers teammate.
"We talked about playing in the NFL together while we were at Pitt," said Pickett in January on the "Not Just Football" podcast. "That's like the college teammates' dream, especially for a quarterback and receiver, that kind of dynamic, especially given how well we played together."
On Friday, Addison, who finished his college career at USC, told reporters that he'd be on board with joining Pickett in Pittsburgh.
"Hey man, if we reunite, that'd be good," said Addison. "That'd be real cool. Real easy transition. Come get me."
Addison caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns while playing with Pickett in 2021.
The Steelers have other more pressing needs, but so did the Bengals in 2021 when they used the No. 5 overall pick on Ja'Marr Chase.
At the time, Cicninnati was criticized for taking a wide receiver instead of an offensive lineman.
The offensive line is still a position of need for the Bengals, but I don't think anyone in the organization regrets taking Chase as he's become one of the top players in the NFL.
Chase was teammates with Cincy quarterback Joe Burrow at LSU. If Burrow wouldn't have campaigned for Chase, there's a good chance he doesn't get drafted by the Bengals.
Reuniting Chase and Burrow worked out incredibly well for the Bengals.
Maybe the Steelers could find similar magic with Addison and Pickett.
If Pittsburgh is truly committed to Pickett as their franchise quarterback, then they'd be wise to try to accommodate him as best as possible. Drafting Addison would certainly fall into that category.
