Mitch Trubisky will be the presumed starter of the Pittsburgh Steelers going into the 2022 season. If you ask Steelers fans how they feel about this you’ll get a mixed bag of responses. You have the realistic fans who think Mitch should be the week one starter then you have the Kenny Pickett fanatics. There is uncertainty of how Mitch will look as the starter however, he looked solid in the preseason. With that being said I thought it would be fun to compare this Steelers roster to the 2018 Bears. In 2018 Mitch Trubisky made it to the pro-bowl and the Bears made it to the playoffs.
During the 2018 season the bears had a loaded defense. They had 8 pro-bowlers and 4 first team all-pro guys. Guys with a asterisk made the first team all-pro from the 2018 season.
Pro-Bowlers
Mitchell Trubisky, Tarik Cohen* , Charles Leno Jr., Cody Whitehair, Akiem Hicks Khalil Mack*, Kyle Fuller*, Eddie Jackson*
The Bears were the third best defense in the NFL during the 2018 season. They had play makers everywhere which really helped carry the team into the playoffs. Surprisingly that year they had 2 pro-bowl offensive linemen. The one issue the Bears had that season was a lack of offensive weapons. The running back position was very solid for them that season however, they did not have a receiver amass over 800 receiving yards. Tarik Cohen was their do it all guy. He led the team in receptions and was second on the team in receiving yards.
So, how does this compare to the Steelers roster coming into this year?
Mitch Trubisky with the Steelers
Last year the Steelers had four pro-bowlers and two first team all-pro.
Pro-Bowlers
Najee Harris, Cameron Heyward*,Diontae Johnson, T.J. Watt*
The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line ranked 26th last season. Even with the early struggles I believe the line will continue to improve and be middle of the pack. James Daniels is an upgrade from Tre Turner and with Kendrick Green now being out of the starting rotation this unit will gel. The 2018 Bears had a better offensive line.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have much better weapons than the Bears had during Mitch’s pro-bowl season. PFF has the Steelers wide receiver room ranked 19th going into the season. This is misleading because PFF basically always trashes on the Steelers. The pure depth and athletic ability of these guys should have this unit ranked in the top 10. When I look who is above them there are a lot of unproven guys which is typical to deal with as a Steelers fan. So, Mitch should fair well with a plethora of weapons to get the ball to.
The Bears simply had a stacked defense. A lot of people believe it is the only reason they made it to the playoffs. Personally I believe Mitch was a great contributor as well, he did make it to the pro-bowl and had solid stats. The Steelers lose out on this unit, even though I believe they will be much better this year. The Steelers should end up being a top 10 defense this year with their key guys all returning and some great signings. Having a guy like Myles Jack who is a ball magnet and a tackling machine paired with a healthy and improved defensive line they can only go up from last year.
Conclusion
The reason I did this is to kind of put how we expect Mitch to perform into perspective. He is coming to a similar team he had during the 2018 season. A stacked defense paired with a good run game will help him excel. The Steelers also have one of the best coaches in the game in Mike Tomlin. The biggest difference is the skill positions and playmakers. He will have plenty to throw to and I believe barring injury Kenny Pickett will not see the field this season. I would love to say I can see Mitch making another pro-bowl but the AFC is just loaded with talented quarterbacks. However, Mitch will come in and have a great season. He played well during preseason and with the regular season finally here teams are actually going to be game planning. Mitch won’t be coming out in the first quarter, he will have a chance to actually find a groove and get the offense rolling. This Steelers team will look a lot more respectable in the first half of games this year.
As always thanks for reading! You can always find great Steelers content here on the Gridiron Heroics.