The ebbs and flows of the Pittsburgh Steelers chaotic off-season continued into training camp practice on Tuesday. The offense showed signs of life, finally winning a "7 shots" drill. The quarterback competition continues to be a murky one, although Mitch Trubisky seems to be figuring things out.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Throughout the off-season, despite the team investing a first-round pick in rookie Kenny Pickett, Trubisky has been the front runner for the starting job all along. Signed to a two-year, $14.3 million deal after spending last season with the Buffalo Bills, the team has made it obvious that their plan is to start him. He provides as the perfect "bridge" quarterback until Pickett is ready to take over the job for the long run. That's even with Mason Rudolph still on the team, the former third-rounder who has been on the team for four years now.
The Athletic's Mark Kaboly, a longtime Steelers beat writer, speculated that, based off the reps on Monday and Tuesday at practice, Pickett will be the second-string QB this weekend. The Steelers open their preseason on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks. Kaboly's speculation would mean Trubisky would start the game, leaving Rudolph as the last guy in.
Speculating off of reps this close to preseason game 1, looks like Trubisky then Pickett then Rudolph against Seattle. We will find out for sure on Thursday AM.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 9, 2022
While Rudolph has had quite the uninspiring career so far in Pittsburgh, the team has seemingly not given him much of a chance to win the starting job. He's arguably been the best, most consistent quarterback through two weeks of camp, and that's according to several sources who have been present, including our own, Brandon James Wallace.
Even Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review gave the same impressions, mentioning that Pickett was QB2 with Rudolph as QB3 at Tuesday's practice. That didn't come without any hiccups though, as Pickett seemed to struggle a decent bit. He still had his moments, but the rookie threw multiple interceptions on Tuesday.
Again, Trubisky seems to be the clear QB1 to begin the season, especially with him rounding into form the first few days of this new week. The competition seems to be for the backup position, which will also be for a helmet on game day. That is, unless the team opts to dress three quarterbacks for games.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
How do you see the reps taking place in Saturday's first preseason game? Do you think Rudolph is getting a fair enough chance at winning the job? Who will end up starting the season as the QB2, assuming Trubisky starts? Let us know your continued thoughts on the quarterback competition in the comment section below!
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