After QB Mason Rudolph was re-signed in mid-May the odds for undrafted free agent QB Tanner Morgan to make the Pittsburgh Steelers got considerably longer. So far in training camp, he hasn’t seen many reps, but that doesn’t mean head coach Mike Tomlin is overlooking him. Tomlin praised the mental reps Morgan has been taking and said he could be like Josh Dobbs and win a spot on the roster.
“He takes great mental reps,” Tomlin said Thursday during his post-practice interview that was posted to Steelers.com. “He got some work, I think last Sunday, for example. We’ll carve out days where we’ll give him an opportunity to show what he’s capable of. There’ve been many in his position over the years that have broken through and earned a place for themselves in this thing. Josh Dobbs is a classic example of that. Josh Dobbs has been in this camp on several occasions and been the fourth arm and found a way to persevere.”
While Morgan may see snaps here and there during practice the place where he could really shine is in preseason games. Game action is the best place for quarterbacks to show their worth, and with Kenny Pickett being the entrenched starter this year Morgan should be able to see some game time.
Morgan has plenty of experience to boot, even if it is not NFL experience. Taking advantage of the COVID exemption, Morgan played five years of college football in the Big Ten for Minnesota. There, he threw for 9,454 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions. Tanner’s best year came in 2019 when he threw for 3,253 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions.
Tomlin mentioned Dobbs, former Steelers quarterback who used good preseason performances and limited training camp reps to make the team in multiple years, notably 2017 and 2018. In 2018, he beat out longtime backup Landry Jones to retain his spot on the roster. However, the situations aren’t the same, as Dobbs was drafted by the team. While being drafted doesn’t secure your spot on a team, it is a lot harder to cut a fourth-round pick than it is an undrafted free agent.
Morgan can certainly make the team, but it will be an uphill battle. He isn’t getting many real reps, but Tomlin is a fan of the mental reps he is taking. If Morgan is going to make the team he is going to have to show out during the preseason, just like Dobbs did.
