The Pittsburgh Steelers will give first-round pick Kenny Pickett his first career start when the quarterback leads his team on the road against the heavily favored Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the team confirmed Tuesday.
Pickett replaced an ineffective Mitchell Trubisky last week in a 24-20 loss against the visiting New York Jets.
The University of Pittsburgh product completed 10 of 13 passes for 120 yards and threw three interceptions.
Trubisky, the backup to Josh Allen last year in Buffalo, won Pittsburgh’s starting job out of camp. The Steelers are 1-3 with the former Chicago Bears first-round pick (second overall, 2017) as the starter.
The Steelers picked Pickett 20th overall this year.
Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s grip on the ball does not make him well enough to play just yet, owner Jerry Jones told a Dallas radio station on Tuesday.
Assuming Prescott can’t return, Cooper Rush would make his fourth consecutive start for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Cowboys are 3-0 this season with Rush as a starter after Prescott suffered a thumb injury in a season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New York Giants
NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo reported veteran AJ McCarron was one of the quarterbacks to work out for the Giants on Tuesday.
Starter Daniel Jones sprained his ankle and backup Tyrod Taylor went into concussion protocol in last week’s win against the Chicago Bears.
McCarron was with the Bills in the 2018 pre-season when current Giants head coach Brian Daboll was Buffalo’s offensive coordinator and current New York GM Joe Schoen was a member of the team’s front office.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported another QB with Bills ties, Jake Fromm, was also in for a workout. Fromm was a Bills draft pick in 2020 and made one start with the Giants last year.
The Giants face the Green Bay Packers in London on Sunday.
New England Patriots
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports the Patriots are expected to sign quarterback Garrett Gilbert to the practice squad.
Third-stringer Bailey Zappe is the lone healthy QB on the Pats roster — starter Mac Jones (ankle) and Brian Hoyer (concussion) are hurt.
Gilbert started one game for Dallas in 2020 and one game for Washington in 2021.