In the months ahead, much of the attention regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers will center squarely on the quarterback position.
For many, the answer moving forward at the position currently isn’t on the roster for the Steelers, whether that be Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, or pending free agent Mason Rudolph.
Head coach Mike Tomlin disagrees.
“Yes,” Tomlin stated emphatically during his season-ending press conference when asked if he felt the starting quarterback was on the roster, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page.
Short, sweet, to the point.
That means Tomlin fully believes Pickett is going to be the starter in 2024 or that the Steelers will be able to re-sign Mason Rudolph and let him compete for the starting job. Trubisky is still on the roster, obviously, but there is a great chance that the veteran quarterback is cut, saving the Steelers money under the salary cap. After Trubisky was benched for Rudolph entering Week 16 as the starter with Pickett out of the lineup, that pretty much sealed his fate.
Tomlin’s answer to the question about the starter being on the roster currently came just a few minutes after he told reporters that Pickett would resume QB1 standing in the offseason but that competition would be brought in in an effort to get the best man for the job in 2024.
What that competition looks like remains to be seen, whether that’s Rudolph re-signing, and/or a draft pick being brought in. But it’s clear now that even without an offensive coordinator in place, Tomlin believes that the starter at the most important position in all of sports is on the roster.
For better or worse, that’s where the Steelers are currently.
Granted, things could change in the offseason, depending on the hiring of an outside offensive coordinator, which Tomlin stated was going to happen. But for now, the focus is on developing Pickett further, all while bringing in competition to push him — and potentially take the job outright.
We’ll see how that works out for the Steelers and Tomlin in 2024, should the starter for next season be on the roster currently.
