Terry Bradshaw once hopped on the Justin Fields bandwagon. Then he admitted Mike Tomlin pivoting to Russell Wilson was the right call. Now, Bradshaw thinks the team was foolish for trading Kenny Pickett and looking for new quarterbacks in the first place. During his weekly appearance on Fox NFL Sunday’s pre-game show, Bradshaw offered the comment following the news Pickett would start today against the Dallas Cowboys as his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, are attempting to clinch the division.
“They should have never gotten rid of Pickett,” Bradshaw said.
He was then followed up and asked if he had the same opinion three weeks ago before the Pittsburgh Steelers’ losing streak began.
“Yes. Thinking it,” he said as the panel erupted in laughter.
Pittsburgh intentionally had no intentions of trading Pickett, though it was clear he was falling out of favor as their franchise quarterback. Signing Russell Wilson in March, the Steelers’ intent was to have him and Pickett compete for the No. 1 job during training camp. Understandably sensing Wilson was the heavy favorite, Pickett requested a trade. Pittsburgh obliged and shipped him off to Philadelphia for pick swaps and a pair of seventh round selections.
Serving as Jalen Hurts’ backup for most of the season, Pickett has jumped into the starting role. Hurts suffered a concussion early in Week 16’s game against the Washington Commanders, inserting Pickett into the lineup. His play was mixed and some fans called for him to be benched. NFL rules dictate the emergency third quarterback can only play in case of injury, though Pickett suffered a rib injury mid-game.
Still, Pickett finished things out, going 14-of-24 for 143 yards with one touchdown, one interception, and taking three sacks. A dropped pass by WR Devonta Smith proved costly and Washington won 36-33 in the final seconds of the game.
Per Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, Pickett will wear extra padding on his injured ribs against the Dallas Cowboys. A win today would give the Eagles the division. Once Hurts is cleared from concussion protocol, Pickett will go back to the bench. But this is an important stretch for him and the team and Pickett’s best chance to contribute of the season.
As of this writing, the Eagles and Cowboys are tied at 7. Pickett’s yet to take the field thanks to a Philadelphia pick-six on Dallas’ opening possession of the game.
