Following the conditioning test at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA to kick off Steelers’ training camp for the 2022 season, head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media in a press conference, where he addressed a few details concerning team injuries, the state of Larry Ogunjobi and his role with the team, and the addition of RB Jeremy McNichols to the team today.
When asked about the QB depth chart and if there have been no changes since the summer by a member of the media, Tomlin confirmed as much, stating that the situation will work itself out.
“It was,” Tomlin responded confirming the same QB depth chart to open camp via video provided by the team’s website. “And I’ll say this, because I understand that that’s the elephant in the room. We’re not going to micromanage or over-manage this quarterback competition. The depth chart will not rest on every throw. I know that you guys will want to ask me every day and every throw, but we’re going to be a little bit more steady than that. I think it’s important from a leadership perspective to not over-manage it, to not be too impulsive and so that’s what I relayed to those guys and our actions will continue to display that mindset.”
To no surprise, Tomlin confirms that the QB depth chart consisting of Mitch Trubisky as the #1, Mason Rudolph as the #2, and Kenny Pickett as the #3 hasn’t changed since the team was last together during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. As expected since the team hasn’t met formally for more evaluation to occur with the options in the room since the team broke offseason activities for a much-needed break prior to the start of training camp.
Tomlin addressed the media saying that the team isn’t going to “micromanage or over-manage” the competition, and for good reason. It was the plan all along by Tomlin and former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert to hold an open QB competition where the best man would win the job. Therefore, counting practice reps to see who hits or misses their target on every pass won’t alter the landscape of things too much, although it will likely weigh in a little (as Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora will be tracking every pass during team sessions at training camp).
Ultimately, the depth chart will be sorted out by the participants’ total body of work throughout training camp which includes practice, meeting room sessions, and performance in preseason games. That way, each QB is given the opportunity to separate himself from the pack and rightfully “earn” the job rather than having a couple bad reps by the other options take them out of the equation entirely.
Allowing each’s QBs’ leadership qualities to come out and shine is what Tomlin is looking for with this QB competition, and while the depth chart has a set ranking at the moment, the overall performance of the group throughout training camp will go a long way in determining how it shakes out for the regular season.
