Mike Tomlin keeps the QB hierarchy heading into the Seahawks preseason game

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to play the Seattle Seahawks this Saturday night in the first live game action of the 2022 season. No, the game won’t mean anything, but there will be some questions answered for the home team when Seattle comes to town.

One of the biggest questions fans have been wanting to know is how Mike Tomlin will handle the quarterback situation this preseason. Not only are there only three games, compared to the usual four preseason games, but for the first time since 2004 the Steelers won’t have Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback.

Throughout training camp the Steelers have tried to divide the work between Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett. Trubisky has been the clear-cut QB1 throughout camp, with Rudolph the QB2. Pickett has been getting team reps sporadically, but getting very few reps with the starters.

Thursday Tomlin held his weekly press conference leading up to the game Saturday, and he somewhat outlined his plans for the quarterback position in preseason Week 1. As you can expect, the hierarchy at the position is going to be the same as fans have seen throughout the team’s time at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.

Trubisky will get the start, as Tomlin confirmed with the first question he was asked. As for the rest of the progression, Rudolph is believed to be the second quarterback and Pickett will likely be coming in after the two veterans exit the game as this has been the progression most frequently used throughout training camp. Coach Tomlin said the progression would be how they have done things to this point, but did not specifically name names when it comes to who will be next up after Mitch Trubisky. While Mason Rudolph has received the majority of second-team reps, Kenny Pickett has also taken snaps with the second group.

Tomlin didn’t say specifically how long each quarterback will play, but said the overall progression for the team will see the first group play the first quarter, the second group play the second and third quarter, and the third group will get the fourth quarter. Coach Tomlin also stated that individuals within those groups could see their playing time adjusted to either longer or shorter based on what they want to see.

One thing of note from the press conference is that Mike Tomlin stated that all three quarterbacks will play. Based on this statement, and his lack of playing time throughout training camp, fourth quarterback Chris Oladokun is not expected to get any snaps on Saturday night.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the 2022 preseason.

For a complete rundown of Mike Tomlin’s press conference, check out BTSC editor Dave Schofield on the Press Conference Recap podcast below: