Report: Steelers Nearly Benched Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers almost pulled their quarterback before firing their offensive coordinator.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers made the decision to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada in hopes that their struggling offense and young quarterback would have newfound success. 

That happened for a game, but the group went right back to their struggling ways two weeks after the decision to relieve the OC. And according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, the team has had conversations about benching quarterback Kenny Pickett because of his poor play. 

During an appearance on DVE Morning Show, Dulac said the Steelers were considering benching Pickett because of his struggles. 

"After the Cleveland game, there was some discussion that maybe a change needed to be made at the position because of the way Pickett had been struggling for those three games, right up until the mess in Cleveland," Dulac said. 

Instead, the team fired Canada with hopes that the move would boost Pickett's performance. It worked for one game before the team and their quarterback went back to their old ways. 

"Now, of course, that all changed with the performance in Cincinnati, but it had been discussed. Obviously, they would like to see how he would’ve performed maybe without Matt Canada," Dulac said. "We saw one good game; the second game looked just like he always did."

Now, Pickett will miss up to a month after undergoing ankle surgery. In the meantime, Mitch Trubisky will start, and if the Steelers were considering a QB move earlier in the season, it might mean Trubisky has an opportunity to keep the job with strong performances. 

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