Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett was ready for a change after losing his initial job at the end of the 2023 season and watching his old team sign Russell Wilson.
The trade that sent him from the Steelers to Eagles this offseason was supposed to represent a fresh beginning, a new chapter and maybe one more system in which Dupree had another chance of fulfilling his first-round-pick promise.
In two preseason games, he has yet to find those results with the Eagles.
In reality, he is definitely the same quarterback that lost his place in Pittsburgh and was never able to make any kind of progress.
His game’s most significant downside is still an incapacity — or refusal — to stretch the ball downfield. It is simply checkdown after high percentage low risk pass in the flat, and then diagnosing if it’s a run or deciding who to block.
He only threw the ball 13 times and was 11 of 13 in getting the start for Thursday’s preseason game against the New England Patriots, but his yardage total barely topped double digits – with just a paltry 67 to show.
He also took four sacks.
Kenny Pickett had 11 first half completions
those insanely averaged 0.7 air yards/comp
0.7!!
17 total dropbacks
4 sacks taken
-0.48 EPA/dropback
5.2 YPA
Looks rather less punchy than that in the real world, to be honest… but even those numbers don’t flatter how uninspiring it is most of the time.
There will come after his only four downfield pass attempts in preseason, all incomplete.
You cannot play in the NFL at QB if you can’t throw downfield, and as he enters his third season of playing football that is something Kenny Pickett still has not shown signs to be capable of.
It is only two, maybe make it three games you do not want to draw big conclusions from the preseason where no points get scored or wins are garnered by, they also have one for sure 16 game seasons of work.
It felt like a foregone conclusion that he was going to be the Eagles, backup, No. 2 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts after they traded for him from Indianapolis.
Now even that appears to be out the window as second-year quarterback Tanner McKee is apparently better than him in preseason games.
