Steelers will start rookie Joshua Dobbs in first preseason game vs. the Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin took to the podium for the first time this season to address the state of the team heading into their first preseason game against the New York Giants this Friday night at Metlife Stadium.

There wasn’t much news divulged from the head coach, but the biggest story line was how rookie Joshua Dobbs will start for the Steelers at quarterback. Tomlin will be resting Ben Roethlisberger, and Antonio Brown, and with the injury to Landry Jones means the team will go with Dobbs and Bart Houston as their two signal callers for Week 1 of the preseason.

While some fans may be disgusted at the notion of watching Dobbs play significant snaps in a meaningless preseason game, it should be an excellent chance for the team to see what they have in the rookie. In the past, the Steelers have played Landry Jones a ridiculous amount throughout his first four years in the league during the preseason, and you have to wonder what else there is for him to show them at this point.

In this scenario, Dobbs will be given the chance to make plays, with a limited play book, and the rookie from Tennessee will likely be doing so with both his arm and his legs. Reports from camp have said Dobbs has struggled with underneath crossing routes, often overthrowing them, and his consistency and ability to grasp the NFL game will be fun to watch Friday night.

Other than Brown and Roethlisberger being ruled out, Tomlin stated all given a clean bill of health will be able to play Friday. However, that doesn’t mean they will. For instance, there is a slim chance James Harrison would play in Week 1, especially after just one padded practice so far this season.

Here is a list of players who have missed practice time, and would be questionable to play in the game Friday night:

James Conner (shoulder), Sammie Coates (knee), Bud Dupree (undisclosed), Stephon Tuitt (undisclosed), Justin Hunter (shoulder/arm), Cameron Sutton (hamstring), Mike Mitchell (foot/ankle), Senquez Golson (hamstring), Alejandro Villanueva (concussion), Maurkice Pouncey (unknown), Keion Adams (shoulder), Martavis Bryant (awaiting reinstatement.

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest information on the Steelers as they prepare to travel to the Big Apple to play the Giants in the first live action of the 2017 preseason.