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The 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the busier teams throughout the early part of this offseason. While things have slowed down on a free agent front, the Steelers are still one of the most notable teams, putting in the most notable work throughout the Pro Day circuit. Some of that Pro Day work tells us what is likely in the team's future. With how diligent they have been and the personnel they have sent to watch the top quarterbacks of the draft, it’s hard not to imagine the team considering one of their top draft picks at the position.
But if they do select a quarterback, what does that mean to this upcoming season‘s depth chart? Considering a draft pick could likely come out of the first round, there will be some subsections of the fan base pulling for a number of different players. The biggest cheering section of course will likely be that of Mitch Trubisky. The journeyman reclamation project never really got the greatest of opportunities while he was a member of the Chicago Bears. I wouldn’t be surprised if he produced his best season to date while wearing black and gold.
The next quarterback I anticipate having the loudest amount of support, is the rookie player that lands on this team. That voice will be stronger if the player is Liberty’s Malik Willis, or Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett. Both players likely require a red shirt year of sorts as they still need to fine-tune their game to be on an NFL level. If the Steelers do have one of these guys on their roster, I predict they spend most of the year either as a healthy scratch or if something desperate arises they crack the starting lineup.
The last two guys we should mention are Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins. Both of the Steelers returning quarterbacks have their warts and both players will be competing with one another for a job on this team. Considering how I expect the Steelers to use a rookie next year, the battle between Rudolph and Haskins will be for the backup position with the loser getting released outright. I still believe Mason Rudolph has the inside track for this job and ends up the Steelers backup for the season before Trubisky and this year‘s potential rookie pass them outright in 2023.
I also believe the Steelers will take a similar approach to what I outlined above. Of course things could change, especially if the Steelers decide to pass on quarterback in this year’s draft. I expect Mitchell Trubisky to be the Steelers starting quarterback for at least the first week of the season, followed by Mason Rudolph and then a rookie player. I think it would also be best for the team if the Steelers declared a rookie quarterback as having a red shirt season as to not add any extra pressure to the back of Mitch Trubisky. After that red shirt, season whoever this rookie could end up being can take over the reins in 2023. But as for this upcoming season, I foresee the quarterback depth chart in Week 1 to go as follows.
1. Mitch Trubisky
2. Mason Rudolph
3. Rookie (Malik Willis/Sam Howell/Desmond Ridder/etc)
4. Dwayne Haskins (cut)
But what do you think? What does the Steelers quarterback depth chart look like to start Week 1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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