It’s going to be a crowded QB room for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger, recently retired, opening the doors for a new starting quarterback after 18 seasons. There are four quarterbacks on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster for the 22/23 NFL season. Training camps haven’t officially started. Can a quarterback competition settle the line up?
Mitch Trubisky, a six year NFL veteran. Kenny Pickett, rookie quarterback. Mason Rudolph, a five year NFL veteran, and Chris Oladokun, another rookie. All the QB’s are taking part in Steeler’s OTA’s which makes one wonder. Who will be in the starting lineup? Head Coach, Mike Tomlin has yet to say. Leading to speculation about a true QB competition, as discussed in Jenna Lemoncelli’s NY Post article.
Contender Mitch Trubisky
Drafted by the Chicago Bears, Mitch Trubisky excelled his first year as QB. The following three years proved challenging for him and his stats reflect that. He was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 2021, as backup QB to Josh Allen. As a free agent, he signed with the Steelers in March 2022 under a two years, 27 million dollar deal with incentives. With the franchise making that kind of investment in their QB, Mitch appears to take the lead as first string starting quarterback.
Contender Mason Rudolph
Mason Rudolph was 2018 third-round draft pick from Oklahoma State. Drafted directly by Pittsburgh, he has been with the Steelers his entire career as a solid second string quarterback. He is a contender to the starting lineup simply by his experience. His tenure has given him a comfortable edge with how the Steelers do things. A consistent back-up to Big Ben, he has stepped into the starting role three times when Roethlisberger was hurt. However, there was a controversial turn in his career. In the 2020 season, he got into an on field altercation with Miles Garret of the Cleveland Browns during a Thursday night game.
Contender Rookie Kenny Pickett
A Pittsburgh Panthers QB, Kenny Pickett was a first-round pick, 20th over all in the 2022 draft. In his senior year, he broke Dan Marino’s touch down passing record of 42. He’s a 67.2 percentage passer. In college, he played an NFL type offense, which makes it easier for transition from college ball to NFL. The Panthers shared the Steelers Stadium, which gives him familiarity with that field. NFL analysts have compared him to Cleveland Browns’ Joe Burrow, but Pickett has yet to make his pro career debut.
Contender Rookie Chris Oladokun
A surprise selection, the Steelers took two quarterbacks. Chris Oladokun was a seventh round, 241 over all QB draft pick. Hailing from South Dakota State via Stamford and South Florida. In 2021, he threw over three thousand yards with 25 touch downs to seven interceptions. Possibly a dark horse in the competition for quarterback, he may be a player to watch. After all, Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a six round pick from Michigan.
Training camp starts at the end of July. Only preseason will prove who can be first string quarterback.