The Pittsburgh Steelers look ready to roll with Mitchell Trubisky as their starting quarterback to begin the 2022 NFL season, but first-round rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has impressed during the preseason. Will the Steelers give Trubisky a long leash, or will Pickett get his chance to lead the team early on?
The 2021 season ended with the Steelers saying goodbye to their long-time starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. After 18 seasons and two Super Bowls, Roethlisberger called time on his career and the Steelers began their search for the new face of the franchise.
Free agency wasn’t rife with starting quarterbacks, as it offered few former starters who could provide a bridge to the next era. There were star quarterbacks, like Russell Wilson, on the move and the Steelers were rumoured to have been interested, but nothing ultimately materialized. Instead, the Steelers went with Trubsiky, the second overall pick from the 2017 NFL Draft. Trubisky’s time in Chicago featured flashes of potential, mixed in with overwhelming disappointment even if not all of the blame can be placed on him.
The Steelers gave Trubisky a two-year $14 million contract in March, a sign that he might not be a long-term feature with the team, but that he would likely at least play a role with the club in the short term. For now, he’s considered the Steelers starting quarterback of the present. The future? Well, we’ll see.
Trubsiky’s future got a little murkier when the Steelers selected Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett was drafted to be the future quarterback of the Steelers and everyone knew it. Now, it was just a matter of when he’d take over.
Pickett’s college tape wasn’t perfect, but he’d shown the ability to be a great anticipatory thrower. Someone who could quickly dissect defenses and lead an offense with a cool demeanour. He isn’t physically imposing but he’s mobile. The tape tells the story of an all-around capable quarterback, but whether it would translate to the NFL was a different beast.
Initial reports out of camp were that Pickett struggled to move the ball while Trubisky went from strength to strength. It was the de facto veteran who had control of the race. The Steelers would likely take things slow with Pickett and Trubisky would get an opportunity to lead the offense for at least half of the season.
Although, much of that plan would depend on the Steelers’ performances and Trubisky’s own individual play. Expectations for the Steelers are all over the place in 2022. The team has enough playmakers and talent on the defensive line to make noise, but the offensive line is severely undermanned – as it has been for a number of years now – and the secondary has its issues too. In a stacked AFC, it’s hard to see the Steelers really competing for a playoff spot.
If the Steelers are out of playoff contention early, there’s a possibility that Pickett could see some valuable reps as a starter late in the season. That scenario becomes even more likely if the Steelers struggle early on because of Trubisky’s play, rather than in spite of him. As a starter, Trubisky has a 29-21 record but ranks 34th out of 45 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per play since 2017. Not so good. His play has been anything but assured, hence why he’s now on his third team in three years. While he still has a chance, the leash would no doubt be short.
However, Pickett’s performances in the preseason have potentially changed the Steelers’ perception of how to deal with their quarterback dilemma moving forward. Pickett’s play hasn’t been flashy or mindblowing, but he’s been composed. He’s completed 86.4 percent of his passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns. His average depth of target of 5.4 yards is unimpressive, but the Steelers aren’t going to put him in an untenable position. They want him to get the ball out of his hands fast. Play to Pickett’s strengths. And it’s working.
If Pickett’s performances in camp and during preseason continue to raise eyebrows, then the calls to start him will only get louder. It wouldn’t hurt the Steelers to put Pickett in from the word ‘go’, but it likely won’t happen. However, it does feel like a matter of time before he’s the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh based franchise.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.