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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will reportedly undergo ankle surgery Monday (December 4) but isn't expected to be placed on injured reserve following an injury in Week 13, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported during an appearance on 'Good Morning Football' Monday morning.
The decision not to place Pickett, 25, would allow him to potentially return before the Steelers' final regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, rather than forcing him to miss the next four consecutive games. The second-year quarterback was ruled out after diving for the goal line during the first half of the Steelers' Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and replaced by veteran backup Mitch Trubisky.
Pickett threw for 70 yards on 7 of 10 passing prior to exiting the game. The Steelers attempted a goal line run by Trubisky after he was inserted into the game, but were held out of the end zone and turned the ball over on downs.
Pittsburgh and Arizona were tied, 3-3, at the time of the injury and the Cardinals led 10-3 at halftime, with quarterback Kyler Murray completing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Trey McBride in the final 15 seconds of the first half before running back James Conner -- a Western Pennsylvania native and University of Pittsburgh standout who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Steelers -- added two more touchdowns in the second half.
Pickett, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has gone 14-9 as a starter since taking over for Trubisky during his rookie season. Trubisky, a former No. 2 overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft, has a 2-3 record in five starts for the Steelers.