Steelers to Lean on Mitch Trubisky for Leadership, Depth after QB Change

Alan Saunders |

Oct 6, 2022

Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) rolls out with Cleveland Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (5) in pursuit during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/David Richard)

PITTSBURGH — Mitch Trubisky is no longer the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback after being replaced by Kenny Pickett on Sunday, but the team still expects Trubisky to have a major role in the team’s preparations going forward, as a leader and to provide depth to the sport’s most important position.

Trubisky will remain a team captain, head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday, and Tomlin went out of his way to say that the decision to make the change at quarterback was not all about the play of Trubisky.

“Oftentimes, the quarterback position gets too much credit and too much blame,” Tomlin said. “We haven’t moved the ball fluidly enough to our liking. We haven’t put enough points on the board. The quarterback is a component of that, but not the only component. We’ve all got to absorb the responsibility that comes with what we haven’t done, particularly in that phase, including myself and starting with myself.

“When you make a quarterback change, you’re really sensitive to that component of it because I don’t want to dump the responsibility of what transpired at Mitch’s feet. That’s not fair to him. He’s played better than that description.”

Especially this week against the Buffalo Bills, where Trubisky served as a backup quarterback in 2021, the team expects him to be an asset in helping Pickett prepare for NFL games for the first time.

“Mitch is one of the best teammates I’ve been able to come across,” Pickett said. “I’m extremely grateful to have him in this room. I supported him a ton when he was in there and he’s done the same for me. That’ll continue and we’re definitely great friends on the field and off the field. So, he’s definitely someone I’m going to lean on throughout this whole experience and he’s been nothing but great to me.”

Trubisky will also remain a valuable backup to Pickett. Through four weeks, 45 quarterbacks have thrown passes for 32 teams. Only Trubisky was benched, with the rest of the backups called on to fill in for injury. Chances are good that the Steelers could need to lean on Trubisky again before the end of the season.

Trubisky’s incentive-laden contract with the Steelers runs trough the end of the 2023 season.