Pickett, Trubisky, Rudolph begin battle for Steelers’ quarterback spot
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin says he won’t “micromanage or over-manage” the competition to succeed Ben Roethlisberger as QB1.
The tussle for the quarterback starting spot is about to begin at the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph compete to be the team’s QB1 following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
“The depth chart will not rest on every throw”
On the eve of the start of training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that Pittsburgh’s depth chart would remain the same to begin with in training - so as things stand, Trubisky is QB1, Rudolph is QB2 and Pickett is QB3.
“We’re not going to micromanage or over-manage this quarterback competition,” Tomlin said. “The depth chart will not rest on every throw. I know that you guys will want to ask me evert day and every throw, but we’re going to be a little bit more steady than that.
“I think it’s important from a leadership perspective to not over-manage it, to not be too impulsive. So that’s what I’ve relayed to those guys, and our actions will continue to display that mindset.”
Asked about the leadership he expected Pickett to be able to show off the field, Tomlin said the rookie, who the Steelers picked at No. 20 in the 2022 Draft, knows what his responsibilities are.
“I think when you’re 22, 23, 24 years old, you’ve been playing quarterback all your life, you understand those informal responsibilities that come with the position,” Tomlin explained. “I’m more concerned about tangible things, accuracy, taking care of the ball, and things of that nature.”
Tomlin not worried about distribution of first-team reps
Tomlin also said he wasn’t concerned about the number of first-team reps each quarterback will get during practice, with Chris Oladukon also on the roster as QB4. The coach explained that the Steelers have begun training camp with four QBs throughout his tenure at the franchise.
“About every year we’ve been here, we’ve carried four guys into camp, and there have been some rep management things to address from that perspective,” he said. “We’ve got four quarterbacks. We generally run in three groups. So there’s some things to manage from a rep standpoint. But again, that has been the case for the 15 years or 16 years that I’ve been here.”