Eagles clearly didn't watch Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh based on recent comments

Kenny Pickett got a raw deal with the Steelers, there's no denying that. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan drafted the Pitt product in hopes the ghost of Dan Marino would finally stop haunting the north shore. Pickett is not Marino, and thus he struggled to produce on the field and was eventually traded. Yes, Pickett was gifted a defensive head coach, a terrible offensive coordinator and a fanbase adjusted to Hall-of-Fame level QB play, but some of his faults should fall squarely on him.

Pickett was traded to Philadelphia this offseason, and the Steelers replaced him with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Pickett was reportedly unhappy when the Steelers acquired Wilson, and didn't enjoy that the veteran would receive the first opportunity as QB1 in training camp.

In reality, the Steelers had seen enough of their former first round. It turns out the Eagles weren't watching.

Pickett has received rave reviews out of Eagles practice, which sounds familiar. Steelers fans liked what they saw last summer as well, especially Pickett's connection with George Pickens in preseason games. Yet, that never translated to the regular season.

Eagles coaching staff won't stop praising Kenny Pickett

Pickett is a backup quarterback, especially in a QB room which already features Jalen Hurts. In a 17-game schedule when 11 players are trying to knock the opposing QB out of the contest, however, it's nice to have a decent backup. Pickett can provide that.

“He had a lot of production there at Pittsburgh. Obviously went on with the Steelers and now with us. Excited about Kenny and what he brings. The last two years we have played with backup quarterbacks and I think that is a real part of this league. It is a physical game and it is hard to keep a guy healthy for 17 straight weeks. We value the backup quarterback position and we are going to invest in Kenny," Eagles QB coach Doug Nussmeier said.

Yes, Pickett had a good college career at Pitt, but Nussmeier skips over the Steelers portion of his career as if its a footnote, rather than the main plot point.

This is where the Eagles and Nussmeier lose me, and most reasonable football fans who watched a down of the Steelers with Pickett last season. In two years, Pickett has just 13 touchdowns, and has 13 interceptions to his name. There's a reason he's a backup, which Nussmeier even hints at.

Investing in the backup QB position is important in the modern NFL. But as much as Pickett may show in practice, the Eagles can't pretend he's a diamond in the rough.