Catching strays: Former Steelers CB says the quiet part out loud about Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers' in-house game of quarterback musical chairs that they played this offseason was anything but under-wraps. Mike Tomlin's club, of course, signed Russell Wilson before then trading for former Bears first-round pick Justin Fields. In turn, the Steelers allowed veteran backup Mason Rudolph to walk while then trading their own former first-rounder, Kenny Pickett, across Pennsylvania to the Eagles.

Pickett's departure from Pittsburgh, where he also played his college football, has remained a focal point for Steelers and Eagles fans alike. There have been vague allusions as to why the quarterback failed to live up to his first-round draft status and we've even seen some former teammates appear to express relief that he's gone.

And now that latter talking point has resurfaced again, this time in the form of now-former Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson. The veteran and a former first-round pick in his own right appears to have no love lost for Pickett based on what he said he told Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin after the offseason moves at QB.

Former Steelers CB Patrick Peterson shades Kenny Pickett

Peterson, while appearing on The Jim Rome Show and talking about a desire to return to Pittsburgh, revealed that after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson, he texted Tomlin a message about the team's outlook:

"Now you finally have a quarterback with credibility and someone you can count on being in the lineup."

Perhaps just as shocking about this text exchange was Peterson saying that Tomlin responding, "We got us one."

Peterson's comments were, of course, in reference to Pickett, Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky's performances at the helm of the offense a year ago. And while you can nitpick the idea that the Steelers "got them one" when it comes to Wilson based on what he showed over his two years with the Denver Broncos, it would be a tall task to play worse than Pickett in Pittsburgh.

It's more shocking to see quite clearly, though, how negative the effects of Pickett were on the Steelers in the locker room. When you see comments like this from Peterson, earlier ones from Jaylen Warren, and even Tomlin's response to the cornerback, it's hard to think that this isn't a massively important situation for Pittsburgh to remove themselves from.

Who knows what Pickett's career will look like from here on out as he's now the primary backup for Jalen Hurts with the Eagles. But it does seem that the vibes are immediately higher in Pittsburgh just from him not being in the Steelers locker room any longer.