Steelers Rumors: Ouch! Colin Cowherd pinches fans dreaming about Kenny Pickett

Long known for his incendiary takes, Colin Cowherd decided to keep things real for Steelers fans optimistic about Kenny Pickett heading into 2023.

On his show "The Herd", Cowherd said there were 14 teams in the NFL that could feasibly win the Super Bowl in 2023. That in itself is not a ridiculous number -- a little high, maybe, but it goes to show the growing competitiveness of the league.

Sadly, Pittsburgh does not count as one of those Super Bowl-contending teams right now.

Co-host Jason McIntyre floated the idea of the Steelers making it all the way, and Cowherd immediately shut down that ballooning notion before it got inflated any further.

He believed (rightly so) that Pickett can't consistently compete in the quarterback gauntlet that is the AFC. To make it to the big stage, Pickett would have to go up against and beat the likes of Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes.

Most second-year quarterbacks on young, rebuilding squads can only complete that feat in their dreams.

Instead, Cowherd lumps Pickett in a separate category called "Could win a playoff game."

While non-spectacular quarterbacks have occasionally reached the Super Bowl (Joe Flacco, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jared Goff), their respective team strengths made up for their own weaknesses. Pittsburgh can boast a good amount of talent supporting Pickett on both sides of the ball, but is their roster a Super Bowl-caliber one? Not yet.

See if Pickett can make the playoffs first (a 9-8 record probably won't cut it). The rest will follow.

Steelers Rumors: Is James Pierre tumbling down the depth chart?

In the Steelers' rock-solid backfield, no defensive back is safe. Veteran corner James Pierre has heard his number called this preseason and hasn't impressed compared to younger, higher-upside players. Could he be on his way out?

Pierre, who joined Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent in 2020, has played mostly backup corner duties in the last three years. He's played in 50 games in total but started just six.

He entered this year's training camp hoping to make the leap into a starting role; however, the Steelers just have too much talent at the position. Joey Porter, Patrick Peterson, and Levi Wallace are all locks along with Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley, leaving Pierre in a vicious backend-of-the-roster battle to end the 2023 preseason.

Several pundits are down on Pierre and for good reason: he doesn't offer much more than special teams expertise and hasn't made the most of his snaps in a Steelers uniform, preseason or otherwise.

Cory Trice Jr.'s unfortunate season-ending injury could have saved Pierre's job as the Steelers need the cornerback depth. After the 2023 season, though, Pierre is as good as gone.

Steelers Rumors: Tanner Muse named team's 'most impressive backup' in Week 2 of preseason

Speaking of elite Steelers defense, linebacker Tanner Muse has turned into a welcome surprise in 2023. The ex-Seahawks player thrived on special teams in his three-year NFL career, and for the most part, that's where he'll be expected to contribute in Pittsburgh.

But the Steelers' second preseason game against the Bills saw him take more snaps as a linebacker, and many were left impressed by Muse's coverage and overall defensive play.

PFF's Zoltan Buday called Muse the Steelers' most impressive backup and gave him a 90.4 grade for that game. Muse allowed just one catch for seven yards on 18 coverage snaps.

One of Muse's highlights included a key pass break-up in the fourth quarter, and the Clemson product also logged a massive run stop and fumble recovery.

In 2023, the Steelers should feel plenty comfortable about their current inside linebacker unit with Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, and others. Should that unit suffer an injury or two, Muse may live up to his name as the team's "most impressive backup" and keep the defense competitive this upcoming season.