This Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will start off their 2022 preseason by hosting the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium, the second home game for the team after the stadium's name change away from Heinz Field. It is definitely going to take Steeler Nation a little while to get used to that.
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has to weigh his quarterback options by evaluating them through training camp and the preseason. Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Heading into that game, there are going to be a lot of players looking to show Mike Tomlin and company what they can do in a game, and not just against their teammates in practice.
Tomlin spoke in his breif press conference on Monday that this game will determine a lot of starting positions. That even includes the quarterback position. Tomlin was asked "Is one of those positions that comes down to this week, the starting quarterback position?". Tomlin didn't mince words and simply replied:
"YES"
The quarterback battle has been hot all camp, with Trubisky remaining the favorite to come out on top and be the starter Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Neither him, Rudolph, or rookie Kenny Pickett are getting complacent however, as all of them want to get as much playing time as possible vs. the Lions.
Steelers Have Two Competitors In Mitch Trubisky And Mason Rudolph
In a short interview last Thursday, Trubisky stated his desire to be out there as much as possible. When asked if he is hoping to get a significant amount of playing time, he left no doubt. His response is below:
"Yeah, I want to play. I want to see our in-game operation and get a lot of reps. Coach has got a plan, so we just have to trust that and whenever we find out what it is, we'll go with it."
Mitch Trubisky wants to and expects to play in the Steelers preseason opener Saturday pic.twitter.com/3EsUAhBrp8
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 11, 2022
Understanding that you won't always get all the playing time you desire is something a veteran player has learned to this point in their career. Trubisky trusts Tomlin's plan, but obviously, he wants to prove he deserves the starting job after signing a two-year deal with the team this off-season.
Trubisky isn't the only QB in black and gold that is trying to prove himself, however. Rudolph is entering his fifth year with the franchise and patiently waited his turn to try and win the starting spot, so he isn't pulling any punches when asked about how much he wants to play in preseason games.
"I'd love to play the whole game. That's not the setup of the preseason, and I understood that since day one of my rookie year. Whatever I get, I will be excited about it, and I will plan to lead the guys down the field."
Mason Rudolph knows the games (even preseason) mean a lot in terms of evaluation pic.twitter.com/wqNv72zyXE
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 11, 2022
Throughout training camp, Rudolph has pretty easily been the most consistent quarterback day in and day out. So for him to not get in as the starter is probably a tad frustrating being one of the veterans in that quarterback room.
Both of these guys are competitors, and when you're fighting for a spot, it is very natural for them both to want to be out on the field for every snap. With both of them being guys that have been in the league for several seasons now, they understand that isn't always the case. They both trust the process Tomlin has put in place for them to prove they deserve to be under center Week 1 against the Bengals.
Last week Trubisky was the quarterback to start the game against the Seattle Seahawks, and to a lot of people's surprise, Rudolph didn't follow behind him. In fact, Pickett was the next quarterback to get into the game and led the team down the field on a two-minute scoring drive to end the half. Rudolph then entered the game in the 3rd quarter and finished the game strong, putting together a game winning drive in the 4th quarter.
Steelers quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and Kenny Pickett at training camp. Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
With the release of Chris Oladokun this week, it leaves just three quarterbacks in the Steelers' QB room, but that is how it felt most of camp anyways with Oladokun receiving no team reps until the closing days of camp.
Having a group of quarterbacks that have the fire that Trubisky, Rudolph, and Pickett have showed to win the starting spot is a good thing. This means that whoever ends up on top earned that spot, as well as likely made themselves better in the process.
Who do you think should be the team's starting quarterback when the dust settles? Let us know and comment below!
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