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The consensus opinion among insiders, analysts and fans is that it will be only a matter of time before Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin officially names free-agent signing Mitchell Trubisky as his starting quarterback and the immediate successor to future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger over both first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett and career backup Mason Rudolph.
For now, however, Tomlin is insisting that he’s holding a legitimate summer competition between the three during training camp and the preseason. Tomlin spoke with reporters Tuesday and offered some insight into how he intends to handle that battle.
“We’re not going to micromanage or overmanage this quarterback competition,” Tomlin explained, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “The depth chart will not rest on every throw. I know that you guys will want to ask me every day and after 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 overmanage 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.”
Pickett, a product of the Pittsburgh Panthers, spent springtime workouts as third on the depth chart and may have an uphill climb to unseat even Rudolph in the No. 2 role. Tomlin discussed why he believes the rookie doesn’t immediately need to learn how to be an NFL leader as a QB1 assuming he’ll remain a spectator on Sundays throughout the fall months.
“I think when you’re 22, 23, 24 years old and you’ve been playing quarterback your whole life, you understand those informal responsibilities that come with the position,” Tomlin remarked. “I’m more concerned about tangible things: accuracy, taking care of the ball, and things of that nature. I don’t have any level of concern about those other things being in his wheelhouse. I watched him do it next door in terms of leading his guys and being what we need quarterbacks to be. I don’t think that’s going to be a significant discussion.”
Pittsburgh also has seventh-round pick Chris Oladokun in the quarterback room, and his presence could allow the club to shop Rudolph to a team in need of a signal-caller in late August or early September.
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