With training camp just around the corner, it’s time to turn our focus on what is going on within each position, and on the roster as a whole. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at some of the roster battles that we expect to see unfold over the course of training camp as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the start of the 2023 season.
This year, there will be no quarterback competition overshadowing everything that goes on at Latrobe, but there will still be plenty of battles to sift through, both in the starting lineup and in depth. The Steelers added many new faces this offseason, rookie and veteran alike, and it’s in training camp that we begin to see where all the pieces fit.
Position: Quarterback
Up for Grabs: Number Three
In the Mix: Mason Rudolph, Tanner Morgan
It was reported earlier this offseason that when Mason Rudolph re-signed with the Steelers this offseason, it was made clear to him that there would be no competition for the backup job this time around, let alone the starting role. It was not reported that he was in any way given assurances that his roster spot was safe, however, in return for signing.
After all, while he could have waited longer, the only reason he re-signed with the Steelers was because it didn’t seem as though anybody else was interested in him. Whether right or wrong based on his talent, that’s the reality. And he only signed a veteran-minimum contract, so it would hardly be unfair to discuss the possibility of a competition for the number three role.
Assuming that there, then entering training camp his competition is going to be Tanner Morgan, a rookie college free agent who once had a very promising college career that slowly dwindled into near irrelevance.
Because Rudolph was not even given a signing bonus, it would actually be more expensive in terms of dead money to cut Morgan, who was given a $25,000 signing bonus, pretty hefty by the Steelers’ standards.
But it’s a matter of getting enough snaps. Kenny Pickett is going to get starter snaps this year, but is it possible that Mitch Trubisky can do with less work this time around? Given that Rudolph is no longer competing to ascend, the Steelers could give some of his snaps to Morgan if they really want to allow him to compete.
After all, they’re not going to learn anything about Rudolph as a player this summer that they didn’t already find out over the past half a decade. He got a lot of work in training camp and the preseason last year, at the expense of getting a better look at Chris Oladokun, their seventh-round quarterback of 2022. Maybe Morgan gets more of a chance. Maybe not.
