The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks are battling it out to determine who follows up future first-ballot Hall of Fame QB Ben Roethlisberger in the Steel City. The Steelers quarterbacks got their first taste of preseason action on Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks. All three guys played well in their 2022 debuts and moved the ball down the field. It may be the preseason, but it's a positive note to be made.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Aug.13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham/Pittsburgh Steelers)
All three quarterbacks, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and Kenny Pickett, won the evening. In a tight quarterback competition, this thing just got a little tighter.
After the game, Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke about the performances and seemed pleased with the QB room as a whole:
"You know, he moved his group," said Tomlin about Pickett's performance via Steelers.com. "He played situational football. He displayed a competitive spirit. A lot of good things to build on from a first performance standpoint.""I could say the same thing about all three [quarterbacks], to be honest with you. They moved their units. They did the informal things associated with the position from a leadership and communication standpoint. They were engaged. It was a good first time out for all three. Obviously we'll comb through it tomorrow and evaluate it in that way."
Tomlin has already stated that the quality of play in preseason action will weigh heavily in the ultimate decision of who will open the regular season as the team's QB1.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Aug.13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
“I meant what I said when I said I wasn’t going to be blowing in the wind in terms of the reps, that the depth chart doesn’t ride on every throw,” Tomlin stated via Steelers.com prior to the team's preseason opener. “I think you cut their leadership legs out from under them when you have that mentality. And so, we’re going through this process, and the quality of the play, particularly in-stadium, will determine how it unfolds moving forward.”
Pickett had an impressive showing against the Seahawks on Saturday night as he completed 13 of his 15 passes on the night for two touchdowns and one game-winner to WR Tyler Vaughns. However, so did the other QB1 candidates. Trubisky finished the night 4 for 7 and one touchdown and methodically moved the offense for an opening drive that went 90 yards and a touchdown. Rudolph started the night off by recovering his own fumble on his first snap, but threw a touchdown pass to budding superstar rookie WR George Pickens. Rudolph finished the night completing nine of his 15 passes on the night with one touchdown.
All three quarterbacks got the approval of the man their competing to follow up.
Great showing by the @steelers tonight! All 3 QBs looking good! Well done guys, fun to watch! -- Ben. #HereWeGo
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) August 14, 2022
Everyone played well, but if we're picking one winner out of the three for Saturday, Pickett may have won the night in his NFL debut.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Aug.13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham/Pittsburgh Steelers)
It may have just been preseason action, but Pickett proved that the NFL isn't too big for him. Not only did he lead an impressive drive on his first go at it, he also threw the game-winner in his professional debut. Pickett continued to display a high level of maturity when talking about the game-winning touchdown pass to Vaughns.
"I liked the match-up, I liked the look we had, just free access," said Pickett via Steelers.com. "I was just thinking, get [Tyler Vaughns] the ball, and we'll get out of bounds and let [Nick Sciba] put it up for the win. But Tyler is a great player. I gave him a chance, and he made a move and scored."
What are yinz thoughts on the quarterbacks' play in the team's preseason opener? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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