Tomlin: Pickett's captaincy reflective of peers' perspectives in Year 2 taken on the South Side (Steelers)

KARL ROSER / Steelers

Mike Tomlin watches practice Monday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side.

It took five seasons for Ben Roethlisberger to earn the status as a captain of the Steelers, when he did so in 2008 for the first time in his illustrious 18-year career.

Of course, the starting quarterback is not and does not always need to sport the "C," but those who do have a special place within their respective team's minds. The captains are distinguished as the proactive leaders, the trusted ones to handle the off- and on-field matters in a fluid and professional manner, and the highest representations of their respective franchises throughout a season.

The rumblings of Kenny Pickett's maturation on and off the field have not been exaggerated. The second-year quarterback has heard praises sung from every corner of the locker room on the South Side -- and extending into the dormitories in Latrobe -- for showing up and stepping up as a leader. As in, someone who can perform, bring out other players' strengths, and quell others' weaknesses all while elevating his own play.

His teammates believed in him in those regards so much so, they elected him as a team captain in his second season.

"I like the way that the group has worked in an intangible way," Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference Tuesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "The development of the brotherhood, the mutual respect and understanding as we work cooperatively, the leadership that's been displayed. The leadership can be reflected by our captain voting yesterday. Proud of the group that this group selected. Kenny Pickett on offense, and I think him being the lone captain on offense is -- obviously -- no disrespect to the leadership to others, but probably more a reflection of everyone's feel of his growth and development, not only as a player but as a leader within this collective. I think the votes reflected that. They weren't just one-sided. I think it was reflective of the team's view of him and his growth and development."

Last season, Mitch Trubisky and Najee Harris were elected offensive captains alongside returning 2023 captains Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, and special teamer Miles Killebrew. Trubisky was not going to earn the nod as a backup quarterback, and Tomlin addressed why Harris was not re-elected as a captain while Pickett earned the nod. It was not meant as a slight to either Trubisky or Harris but, rather, it was a vote of affirmation to amount of trust this team has placed in their second-year quarterback.

That can only bode well for Pickett.

This team is expected to contend for the postseason and potentially then some in 2023. They won nine games with Pickett learning in a trial by fire and with Watt missing nearly half of the season. The offense is expected to take a significant step as Pickett develops his connection on a deeper level with George Pickens and with veterans in Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson to support as reliable options. Omar Khan and the front offense built the "Pickett Fence" over the offseason with the additions of Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo and built a physically-capable unit around Pickett for him to utilize and take that anticipated second-year leap. 

• Speaking of Jones, don't expect him to trot out with the starters Sunday.

Dan Moore Jr. will be the starter at left tackle over Jones in Week 1. Tomlin further addressed that by noting the nod to Moore didn't come down to anything Jones did not do in training camp and in the preseason, but it came from Moore's elevated play over the offseason.

"I thought he played really well," Tomlin said of Moore. "I thought he showed the growth and maturation that comes with the thousand or so snaps that he's played over the last two years. And, so, really comfortable there. Also, really excited about what Broderick showed us. And, we're very thoughtful about making sure that he got a lot of reps during the course of development, particularly in preseason stadiums, and liked the work that he did there. And so, just feel really good about our left tackle position. I feel really good about Dan's growth and development. I feel really good about the acquisition of Broderick and how bright his future is. I know oftentimes depth charts produce stories, maybe what's wrong with Broderick, etc. There's nothing wrong with Broderick. There was nothing wrong with Cam Heyward when he watched. If you have a good team, if you have people playing well, oftentimes, it means young, capable guys get an opportunity to watch as they grow and develop. And so, that's the story, the left tackle position and I feel really comfortable about where we are."

• The 49ers and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa are currently at an impasse on a contract extension, and it is not currently set in stone that he will be on the field Sunday against the Steelers. Bosa is in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to make $17.9 million this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

Tomlin, however, acknowledged the Steelers are preparing to face Bosa.

"Yes, we are preparing for Bosa," Tomlin said. "It's prudent for us to assume that he is going to be there and prepare in that vein, as opposed to being surprised. We were in a similar circumstance with a dynamic rusher a couple of years ago in T.J. We got a deal done at the 11th hour, he showed up in the stadium and he was T.J. Watt that day. And so, that's what those guys do. They show up and they are who they are. And so, we expect him to be there, it's the prudent approach to take and if he's going to be there, we know the type of player that he intends on being. And so, that's something to be dealt with."

• Last week, the Steelers signed former All-Pro Desmond King to solidify their secondary. Tomlin said Teryl Austin, the defensive staff, and he are still trying to decide what role is fit best for King.

"No, not as I stand here right now, man, we just acquired him, you know, yesterday or the other day," Tomlin said. "We've had one kind of bonus practice. We had the infancy of planned development this week. And so, it's just a lot of layers to that discussion, our ability to get to know him, how quickly he learns what it is that we do here and in the need component. And so, we're excited obviously about his acquisition, but I don't necessarily have an answer to that as I stand here today."

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