NFL Rumors: Steelers pressure Pickett, Saquon Barkley holdout, Mike Evans future

NFL Rumors: New Steelers DB Patrick Peterson puts all the pressure on Pickett

When you look around the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, it’s hard to find any true weakness after the offseason they pieced together. With the offensive line fortified by the additions of Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo, the offensive line is substantially improved. The skill positions are both young and terrific, and we know that T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and the defense are going to perform.

The biggest factor is how Kenny Pickett plays in year two. There’s no doubt that the Steelers quarterback is well aware of that. But if you’re a teammate in Mike Tomlin’s locker room, though, the expectation would be that you would do everything to support your quarterback.

However, one of Pittsburgh’s biggest offseason additions, veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson, is simply putting pressure on his new signal-caller. A lot of it.

In a recent interview with Jim Rome, Peterson was asked if the Steelers could win a Super Bowl. And the cornerback essentially put it all on the back of his quarterback.

"“I do, and what it’s going to come down to is we have all the pieces that we need on defense,” Peterson said. “We know defense wins championships. We have talent across the board on the offensive side of the ball. I believe the front office did a great job of getting what we needed in the draft as far as getting Broderick (Jones) in the first round, a left tackle, young pup who you should expect to see play a lot. You added Allen Robinson, you got Diontae Johnson, you got George Pickens, you got Najee (Harris). You know it’s all going to come down to how well Kenny can play and can he put the ball where it needs to go.”"

That last line is the kicker. Talk about asking a lot from one guy.

To be clear, Peterson isn’t wrong. Pickett took over as the starting quarterback early last season and had his share of ups and downs but, overall, looked promising. And how he performs in his sophomore campaign is vitally important to the level of success Pittsburgh can reach in the 2023 season.

At the same time, though, fans would likely expect a teammate, especially one who has logged some miles around the NFL, to do what they can to foster a young quarterback and his psyche — not put the weight of the world on his shoulders.