NFL Rumors: Eagles' Kenny Pickett Seen as 'an Accurate Passer with Desirable Traits'

The Philadelphia Eagles believe there's still some potential to mine from quarterback Kenny Pickett, according to ESPN's Tim McManus.

"In Pickett, the Eagles see an accurate passer with desirable traits who still has room to develop," McManus reported Saturday. "It's widely acknowledged across the league that the offensive conditions in Pittsburgh weren't ideal over the past couple seasons, which leaves room for the possibility that Pickett's ceiling is higher than he has shown to this point."

Positioning Pickett as a reclamation project is a little ironic given he's actually two months older than the guy he'll be backing up, Jalen Hurts. Having such an entrenched starter may not help his development much, either, because he almost certainly won't see the field in 2024 absent an injury to Hurts.

The Pickett trade does have its merits. The cost of acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn't that steep, and his rookie contract means Philly gets a backup QB on a bargain.

Talking oneself into the idea the 2022 first-round pick has a meaningfully higher ceiling might be a stretch, though.

His production went backward in his second season as he threw for 2070 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. His 38.1 QBR ranked 27th out of 30 qualified signal-callers.

And while Pickett experienced a positive bump in the immediate aftermath of Matt Canada's ouster as offensive coordinator, the effect quickly subsided.

Maybe a change of scenery is exactly what the 25-year-old needed. A lot of people will be skeptical about the idea there's much more to his game than what he showed in Pittsburgh, though.