On Tuesday, HC Mike Tomlin spoke to the media in his weekly press conference where he talked about the events of Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets at home and previewed the team’s upcoming Week 5 matchup on the road against the Buffalo Bills.
When asked about how Trubisky handled the news that he would no longer be the team’s starting quarterback after getting benched at the half in favor of rookie Kenny Pickett against the Jets, Tomlin said his former starting QB was obviously disappointed, but sees him behind helpful to Pickett as he prepares for his first start against Buffalo.
“Man, the way that you would expect,” Tomlin said to the media Tuesday which aired live from the team’s YouTube channel. “There was disappointment. He’s a competitor. He’s a professional. He’s a hard and diligent worker. He wants to be a positive contributor to our efforts and the reason why we’re successful and the change up offered him an opportunity to do those things. It’s something to absorb.”
Trubisky was benched in favor of Pickett during the second half after Pittsburgh failed to get anything going on the offensive side of the football once again this season. He completed seven-of-13 pass attempts for 84 yards and an INT that came on a tipped pass. He also took three sacks and helped Pittsburgh muster only two field goals in the first half of play before Pickett came off the bench.
Thus far in 2022, Trubisky is 1-3 as a starting QB and has completed 69-of-116 attempts (59.5%) for 653 yards and two TDs with two INTs. He has also carried the ball seven times for 24 yards and a score on the ground.
Trubisky had moments as the team’s starting QB, stringing together back-to-back 75-yard TD drives against the Browns when the offense went up-tempo. However, he wasn’t getting the job done on a consistent basis as Tomlin stated after the game that the offense needed a spark, and that prompted him to go with Pickett after the intermission. Still, while the team is moving forward this season and likely for the foreseeable future with Kenny Pickett at the helm of the Steelers’ offense, Tomlin is appreciative of what Mitch Trubisky has provided to this point and the professionalism he brings on a daily basis.
“We’re sensitive to the situation that Mitch is in,” Tomlin continued on Trubisky. “But at the same time, we have a game to get ready for and we got to ready Kenny. I’m Sure that Mitch is going to be professional. He’s been a part of that program in Buffalo. I’m sure he’s going to be a positive contributor to our readiness and provide awesome insight throughout the preparation process and be a big help to Kenny.”
