The Pittsburgh Steelers will start a rookie quarterback when the Steelers open up against the Cincinnati Bengals, Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season. Well, according to Rich Eisen, anyway.
Steelers.com
The Steelers have a nice quarterback competition underway at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. In the early phases, both Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky have showcased their strengths at Organized Team Activities (OTA's). But, there’s still a lot of time for this battle to take shape and allow a winner to be named.
Monday morning, on a segment called Overreaction Monday on The Rich Eisen Show, Eisen made a few claims about the Steelers' current quarterback competition after being posed statements that the crew deems an overreaction or not an overreaction.
YouTube Channel: The Rich Eisen Show
The statement made by producer Chris Brockman that started this whole conversation was:
"Mitchell Trubisky will start every game this year for the Steelers."
Eisen responded, "No shot, he won't even start Week 1. Yeah, how about that?"
Brockman asked for clarification, "You think Kenny starts Week 1?"
Eisen said again, "Absolutely, he and his 9 inch hands, 8 and three quarter inch hands (after being corrected), I'm rounding up because he's going to be the starter Week 1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers."
Quarterback Kenny Pickett, center, the Pittsburgh Steelers first-round NFL football draft pick, poses for a photo with head coach Mike Tomlin, left, and president/owner Art Rooney II, at the team's training facility in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pickett is putting in the work at OTA's says Steelers QB coach, Mike Sullivan.
"And really pleased with the two young guys that we have, you know, Kenny Pickett coming in, is working his tail off, I mean I got to kick him out of the room. I mean he’s always in there putting in extra effort and picking things up."
It should be noted that Trubisky is taking first team reps in the early phases of this competition and Pickett will have to earn every opportunity that he is going to get. The quarterback has acknowledged that when speaking to reporters at OTA's this off-season.
Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) participates in Organized Team Activities (OTAs) Thursday June 2, 2022 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. (Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers)
“I mean, I didn’t think I was going to walk in and be the 1, right? So, it’s kind of what I was expecting. Just come in here and earn everything that I get, it’s just kind of how it goes in life and the game. So, I’m excited to be here!"
The rookie is saying all of the right things and we love to hear how his work ethic is impressing the Steelers' coaching staff. Will he be the starter come Week 1? Only time will tell, but if he does start to open the season, he'll be the first quarterback to do so for the Steelers since Terry Bradshaw did so in 1970, after being selected first overall in the 1970 NFL Draft.
As of right now, it looks to be Trubisky's job to lose. So, hold your horses Eisen. There's still a lot of work to be done in the QB battle in the Steel City!
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (#8) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during rookie minicamp, Friday, May 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Checkout the entire episode of The Rich Eisen Show here!
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