Steelers' Kenny Pickett to Practice, Reportedly Could Play vs. Ravens Despite Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will practice on Wednesday and will be evaluated ahead of Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin updated Pickett's status on Tuesday after NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Monday that the quarterback avoided an ACL injury based on the initial testing.

Garafolo and Ian Rapoport then reported the injury was a bone bruise, which means the "door is open" for him to potentially play in Sunday's game against the Ravens. However, Pittsburgh has a bye the following week and could choose to rest him for multiple weeks.

Adam Schefter of ESPN (h/t ESPN's Brooke Pryor) also reported that Pickett was "not expected to miss much, if any time" and that the quarterback could "push the issue" to play against Baltimore.

Pickett suffered the knee injury during the second half of Pittsburgh's Week 4 game against the Houston Texans. He was ruled out for the remainder of the contest and replaced by former Chicago Bears signal-caller Mitch Trubisky.

While Trubisky is a veteran with plenty of NFL experience, there was optimism surrounding Pickett entering the season.

The 2022 first-round pick flashed his potential at times even while struggling overall as a rookie with seven touchdown passes to nine interceptions. Then he impressed during preseason going into his second year, which seemed to suggest he could turn a corner.

Yet he has been inconsistent at the start of his second season while completing 60.6 percent of his passes for 803 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in four games.

Attention now turns to Trubisky with Pickett potentially sidelined for a spell. He failed to live up to expectations with the Bears, but he can at least make plays with his arm and legs while keeping the team afloat in the short term.