It’s the talk around town – who will be taking the starting snaps come Week 1 when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cincinnati? Just this week, FOX NFL Sunday Insider, Jay Glazer, took to social media while visiting the Steelers training camp and solved the quarterback controversy with one video.
“Mitch Trubisky, that’s the guy, he’ll be the starter here… this will be Trubisky’s team.”
Out here at @steelers training camp. My thoughts on this team entering the season and the #Steelers starting QB “battle”. @NFLonFOX #GlazeAcrossAmerica #NFLTrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/yYVzODLhda
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) August 17, 2022
This was widely believed to be the case even before training camp started, and Trubisky was, in fact, ‘the guy’ during last week’s preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. In that game, all three quarterbacks saw some action, and all three posted solid stat lines:
- Mitch Trubisky: 4/7 for 63 yards and one touchdown.
- Mason Rudolph: 9/15 for 93 yards and one touchdown.
- Kenny Pickett: 13/15 for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Mitch Trubisky (10) throwing a pass during a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, August 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
You can look at the stats and conclude that Pickett was the best out of all three, especially after finding wide receiver, Tyler Vaughns in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter in what would be the game-winner. It’s important to note that history shows the first preseason game is when the starting unit only plays a few snaps, if any, before being pulled for the second and third options. This was the case last Saturday. As we watch the final two preseason games, we shouldn’t be surprised if we see a more balanced approach when it comes to playing time between the three.
Steelers Have Plenty of Faith in Trubisky
“When you talk to people around here, they have so much confidence in him [Trubisky],” said Glazer in his video, adding that the Steelers should continue to work with him to put in scenarios where he can succeed.“Mitch has gotten beat up in his career, so they have a guy now that if they fill his confidence up, they certainly think they can win with Trubisky and there’s a lot of people out there rooting for him.”
Glazer hit the nail on the head because it was just last week when head coach Mike Tomlin shared what he sees in Trubisky and what sets him apart from the other quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (8) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, August 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jared Wickerham/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Trubisky May be the Guy Right Now, But Pickett is the Future
We knew this all along. You don’t take a quarterback with the 20th overall selection if you don’t have plans to implement him in the offense soon. While Pickett may not be QB1 right out of the gate, he will secure the starting gig eventually.
Until then, we can enjoy our shiny new toy that is Pickett who has shown signs of maturity and growth so far during training camp, according to Mike Sullivan, Steelers quarterback coach.
“His maturity is one that has been very impressive. He doesn’t ever get too high or too low, he’s got a tremendous work ethic and he’s able to process well. He’s made rookie mistakes, but I’m very impressed with his progression thus far.”
This should get Steeler Nation very excited.
After getting off to a rough start at training camp, it’s certainly encouraging to hear that coaches are already impressed with Pickett. Over the past week, he has worked with the first and second-team offenses and is expected to get a heavier workload in the second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coach Tomlin announced during Thursday’s press conference that the order of quarterbacks will go Trubisky, Pickett, and Rudolph. This is already an improvement from one week ago when Pickett saw the field last.
“They’re going to bring in Pickett in early in the second quarter and early into the third quarter,” said Mark Kaboly, senior writer for The Athletic on The Pat McAfee Show. “This is setting up for where he [Pickett] can insert himself on where he’s going to be in the depth chart early in the season,” he added.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Mason Rudolph (2) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, August 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
As far as Rudolph goes, it feels more and more as if he will be traded or won’t see much action unless an injury happens.
“If Kenny can show he’s capable of being that number two that you can rely on early in the season, to be honest with you, why do you keep Mason?” Kaboly adds. He continues that he hasn’t heard of any trade talks as of now, but he said that could change come Sept. 1. “If they could get a decent offer, maybe a fifth or sixth-round pick, they’ll make the move, but I don’t know if anyone is going to offer that.”
Do yinz think that Trubisky should be the Week 1 starter? Do you agree with Glazer’s prediction? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
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