Steelers news and commentary for Friday, October 20

Welcome to the Terrible Towel Tales, where we’ll highlight some of the latest stories permeating Steelers media for your reading pleasure every Monday through Saturday. In today’s news…

Former Steelers OL Ranked Best in NFL | Noah Strackbein, Sports Illustrated

The Pittsburgh Steelers made the decision this offseason to move on from Kevin Dotson. The former fourth-round draft pick was made a depth piece over the summer after the team signed Isaac Seumalo. Eventually, they traded him to the Los Angeles Rams, where he’s found some new success in the NFL.

Through six weeks, Dotson is ranked as the best offensive guard in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Heading into Week 7, when he’ll meet the Steelers as an opponent, Dotson holds an 85.3 grade from PFF, which has skyrocketed from his 65.4 grade last season.

What do we know about Kenny Pickett after 17 starts as a Steeler? | Brooke Pryor, ESPN

But 17 starts into Pickett’s professional career — a full NFL season — those moments have been just that: moments, brief peeks of potential that barely wallpaper over mediocre outings. Just three months ago, it appeared Pickett was on the precipice of the vaunted second-year leap with a near-perfect preseason.

While pundits point to predictable play-calling under the direction of offensive coordinator Matt Canada as the heart of the Steelers’ struggles, not all of the quarterback’s shortcomings can be laid at the feet of the coordinator.

“Kind of the crazy thing is that — and I think we saw it last year as a rookie — he was having a little trouble identifying stuff and kind of getting to the right spot early in the process,” Hall of Fame quarterback and NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner told ESPN. “He made up for it because he made so many great plays on the move and doing some of those things a year ago.

WATCH: Will Steelers’ Omar Khan find an upgrade at the NFL trade deadline on Oct. 31? | Pittsburgh Post Gazette