NFL Rumors: Deshaun Watson called out sick, Kenny Pickett injury, Claypool best suitor
- Deshaun Watson called out sick despite being medically cleared
- Kenny Pickett knee injury is not "season-ending"
- Contenders cited as best landing spots for Chase Claypool
NFL Rumors: Steelers Kenny Pickett not out for rest of season
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell flat in Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Even so, it was hard to focus on the result with all the concern about Kenny Pickett, who went down with a scary knee injury in the second half. Naturally, some fans immediately thought of the worst possible outcome.
Well, the Pittsburgh faithful were delivered a bit of good news on Monday. While Pickett is expected to miss some time, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the injury is not believed to be "season-ending."
From @GMFB: #Steelers QB Kenny Pickett will miss some time, but his knee injury is not believed to be season-ending; #Bengals WR Tee Higgins has a rib fracture; #Giants RB Saquon Barkley is doubtful tonight. pic.twitter.com/JvQCjjbB3G
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2023
Pickett doesn't have an official diagnosis yet, but the expectation is that he avoided a serious injury. That has to be a huge sigh of relief for the Steelers, who would be loath to endure a full season of Mitch Trubisky under center. There are serious problems to figure out offensively, but the team has a lot of faith in Pickett.
The Steelers' next game is Sunday with the red-hot Ravens coming to town. The loss to Houston set Pittsburgh back in the standings at 2-2, with 3-1 Baltimore now in sole possession of first place. The Steelers will have a chance to get back even for the top spot on Oct. 8, with a hope that T.J. Watt and the defense can hold Lamar Jackson and the new-look Ravens offense in check.
Don't expect Pickett to dress for that game. We should get more concrete updates in the near future as the Steelers get MRI results back and form a more clear timeline for Pickett's eventual return to play.