The Steelers lost their second game in a row on Thursday, and their offense has been kept below 20 points in each of their three competitions. Mike Tomlin is still committed Mitch Trubisky as his starter, however.
Tomlin said after the game he “definitely” has no intention of making a change in midfield. The 16-year-old Steelers head coach went further ahead of his team’s Week 3 game. Tomlin’s plan is to stick with Trubisky throughout the season and let Kenny Pickett a true red shirt year, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer (h/t Incredible announcement), who adds that Tomlin told him, “This is Trubisky’s team.”
This endorsement says a lot about the Steelers’ Pickett timeline, and while it would still be great if the team sat in first quarterback throughout the season, pregnancy and post-match status Tomlin’s makes it look like a real NFL long way off. built for this year’s 20th overall pick. This plan would qualify for comparison with how most teams have handled midfield pairs in the first leg over the past decade.
In spite of Jordan love and Patrick Mahomes (save for the Week 17 cameo 5 years ago) was able to go through all-out red shirt years, their respective teams ranging from solid to excellent (in Aaron Rodgers‘case) starts. Trubisky test lower than Rodgers or Chiefs-five Alex Smith level. However, the fact that The Steelers did not advertise Pickett in the upcoming minor split confirmed their view on the progress of the local rookie.
Pickett played well in pre-season, but Trubisky was seen as the first player throughout the season. Pitt’s production is also the start of four years at the ACC school that shares a home stadium with the Steelers, giving Tomlin and Co a pretty good indication of his readiness. Pickett sitting throughout will still come as a surprise, given that this is his 24-year-old season and his comeback far outstrips Trubisky at this point in his career.
Trubisky only spent one season as a full-time college starter – at North Carolina in 2016 – but was among those selected in the first round to take over their NFL teams early in the season. their first prize. The Bears called him on Week 5 of the 2017 campaign, Excluding Mahomes-Love-Trey Lance rookie genre QB and the first two didn’t keep the job after watching the first sequence action as rookie (Johnny Manziel, Paxton Lynch), every first-round QB since 2012 has been started in the first season as a starter.
If the Steelers insist on letting Pickett sit in 2022, they’ll have a third string Mason Rudolph in place. The team has moved commercial interest into its fifth-year reserve arm. With Pickett jumping Rudolph on the depth chart, it would be surprising if the time was long Ben Roethlisberger backup will soon usurp Trubisky at any time.
The Pickett question will likely continue for the Steelers, whose offender seems to have a low ceiling as of the current build. Then again, the franchise prioritizing Pickett’s growth over 2022 success would make sense as a long-term plan. This latest report certainly makes Pittsburgh’s Roethlisberger succession plan all the more interesting.
