While he likely won’t see much, if any, playing time, quarterback Tanner Morgan has an inside track to be the Pittsburgh Steelers third-string quarterback this year. After six seasons at the University of Minnesota, Morgan went undrafted and quickly signed with the Steelers.
Now, Morgan is at rookie minicamp trying to prove his worth to the team that is giving him a shot to live his dream of playing in the NFL. After practice today Morgan met with the media and was asked what his best attribute is as a quarterback.
“I think for me just being like a point guard, a contributor, get the ball out to the guys who can go make really exciting plays,” Morgan said via a video posted on Steelers.com. “And just being smart with the football and taking care of the ball is a huge asset. But like I said, just trying to be that point guard mentality.”
Morgan had a lot of time at Minnesota to develop as a player and it shows in his accuracy. Morgan finished his collegiate career with a 62.2 completion percentage. Morgan finished his collegiate career on a high note completing an impressive 66.9% of his passes and throwing for 1,382 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022.
While his touchdown numbers were certainly low, and a far cry from the 30 he threw back in 2019, if he gets the ball to his playmakers in the NFL he will be fine. With the pure talent the Steelers have on the offensive side of the ball, as long as Morgan takes care of the ball he should be okay if he ever gets thrown into game action.
With wide receivers like Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and a tight end the quality of Pat Freiermuth, the Steelers have playmakers that have shown they can turn nothing into something. As long as the quarterback takes care of the ball the team will be alright. When Kenny Pickett cut down on his turnovers last season the team went on a tear finishing the season with a 7-2 record.
If Tanner Morgan gets thrown into action, he has to default to what he thinks is his best attribute, taking care of the ball and getting it to his playmakers.
