How long is Kenny Pickett out for? Latest injury update on the Steelers QB
Kenny Pickett was forced to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers' game against the Baltimore Ravens during Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season. He was initially taken out in the first quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. He went through the NFL's official concussion protocols and was cleared to return to the game.
Shortly after he was cleared to return, the Steelers officially announced that Kenny Pickett had been ruled out for the remainder of the match, to be further evaluated for a concussion. Mitchell Trubisky took over as the quarterback for the remainder of the game against the Ravens.
QB Kenny Pickett is in the concussion protocol. He has been ruled OUT for the remainder of today’s game.
It was a strange series of events as Pickett was initially cleared from concussion protocols before going right back into them and being ruled out of the game. It's possible that the Steelers are just being extremely cautious with their rookie quarterback as he is expected to be their franchise quarterback for years to come.
This is the second time this year that Pickett has been forced into the NFL's concussion protocols. The first such event occurred in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was forced out of the game in the third quarter, but was able to clear the protocols prior to their next game, against the Miami Dolphins.
Every concussion case is different, so it's unclear if Pickett will be forced to miss any game this time around. He needs to be officially cleared by the NFL before he's allowed to resume playing football in any fashion.
The fact that he was able to clear the protocols prior to being ruled out against the Ravens probably helps his chances of playing in Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers.
However, this being his second concussion of the year may work against Pickett's chances of playing next week. His status will be updated throughout the course of the week as he's further evaluated.
Kenny Pickett's 2022 NFL season so far
The Pittsburgh Steelers made Kenny Pickett the only quarterback selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He opened the 2022 season as a backup quarterback for Mitchell Trubisky.
The Steelers didn't make Pickett wait long to make his NFL debut. He was named the starting quarterback in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills after making a brief appearance in Week 4 against the New York Jets.
Pickett entered Week 14 with a respectable 4-4 record as a starting quarterback. He has totalled seven touchdowns during the 2022 NFL season, but has also thrown eight interceptions.