So far a little over a week into training camp, the three-way quarterback competition between Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett has failed to truly see one player separate themselves from the other in the bid to win the starting job for the Sept. 11 season-opener on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.
ESPN beat writer Brooke Pryor recently called the competition “uninspiring,” while Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora has seen some positive things from all three throughout camp, yet some struggles as well. To Kozora’s credit, he is not riding the daily roller coaster that the rest of the media and fanbase are doing with the competition.
That lines up with the way the Steelers are viewing things as well, as Pittsburgh very clearly has a plan in place for Trubisky, Rudolph and Pickett each day, as far as snaps go and reps with which players under head coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan.
The Steelers are taking things slowly, not rushing to judgement or decisions, and are truly letting things play out on the field, at least right now. NFL Network insider Tom Peliserro got the same vibe from the Steelers in training camp Thursday. Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Friday from Philadelphia after a stop in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College, Peliserro stated that the Steelers are going to take their time in sorting out the quarterback competition, which is truly a three-way competition, much like the Steelers said it would be.
“If the Steelers had to play a game tomorrow, it’s a pretty good bet that Mitch Trubisky would be the starting quarterback,” Peliserro said to Eisen, according to video via the Rich Eisen Show’s official YouTube page. “But they don’t play a game tomorrow, and they’re gonna take their time sorting this thing out. You not only have a true, three-way quarterback battle, but from everyone I spoke to in Pittsburgh, it sounds like that’s how they’re legitimately approaching it.”
Trubisky, who was signed in free agency to a two-year deal, received all the first-team reps through the first week of camp, which is not surprisingly. The Steelers have been preparing him to be the starting quarterback all offseason since inking him to the deal in free agency. That said, the Steelers are giving Rudolph and Pickett plenty of opportunities to showcase their talents in the competition.
While many are living and dying on every throw and rushing to get out a hot take regarding each quarterback’s showing in training camp, the Steelers are staying patient and taking everything into account in the evaluation process leading up to the first preseason game August 13 against the Seattle Seahawks at Acrisure Stadium.
Though it remains a good bet that Trubisky will be the starting quarterback to open the season on the road against the Bengals, Rudolph has made a case for the starting job, and Pickett is starting to find himself in training camp to date. While it might appear a bit uninspiring for someone like Pryor, the competition remains rather intriguing overall, as the result of the competition could go a long way towards determining the Steelers’ chances in 2022.
