Steelers' Kenny Pickett Set to Start over Mitch Trubisky vs. Bills

The Kenny Pickett era has officially begun in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers will start the 24-year-old at quarterback for Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills, with Pickett passing Mitch Trubisky on the team's official depth chart.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first reported the change on Monday.

The news comes as no surprise after Pickett replaced Trubisky at halftime in the Week 4 loss to the New York Jets. The former Chicago Bears QB had completed just seven of 13 passes for 84 yards and one interception before being replaced.

Pickett completed 10 of his 13 passes for 120 yards and three interceptions, one of which came on a Hail Mary in the final seconds of the game. He also rushed for 15 yards and two scores in relief of Trubisky.

When the Steelers replaced the 28-year-old, they were down 10-6. But Pickett rejuvenated the team, which went on to score 14 unanswered points to take a 20-10 lead before the Jets scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Trubisky has been largely ineffective this season. Entering Week 4, the first-year Steeler had completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 569 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. The free-agent signing was also averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt.

That said, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had frequently called for patience with Trubisky. He even reaffirmed his belief in the veteran signal-caller following a Week 3 loss to the Browns, saying he wasn't considering starting Pickett.

Obviously, Tomlin's feelings about Trubisky changed after another disappointing performance in Week 4, and it's hard to imagine he will get another chance to start this season.

The Steelers selected Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft to be Ben Roethlisberger's heir, and now it's his time to show the franchise what he can do as its leader.