The Pittsburgh Steelers are searching for their franchise quarterback, but here’s why Mitch Trubisky might be the best QB option for this team in 2022.
With all of the talk about the upcoming NFL Draft, the Mitch Trubisky signing has become a bit of an afterthought. Though Trubisky was once the second overall pick in the draft back in 2017, Pittsburgh Steelers fans are eager to move on to bigger and more exciting things.
Trubisky’s career hasn’t exactly gone as planned. When the failed Bears quarterback didn’t work out like his draftmates Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, Chicago was quick to pull the plug.
Two years later and one year after sitting behind Josh Allen in Buffalo, Trubisky may get the opportunity to revive his career (or at least redeem his reputation).
Over the past month or so, however, the 2022 NFL Draft has the talk of the town. The Steelers have expressed an absurd amount of interest in the top five quarterback prospects this year — essentially to the point of forsaking all other positions in the process.
All signs and historical trends seem to point to Pittsburgh selecting a quarterback in the first round this year. In fact, I would almost be surprised if it’s anything else at this point. While there could be a few players from this draft class who prove to be better options than Trubisky down the line, will any of them be a better option to start for the Steelers in 2022?
Trubisky is still the best hope at QB for Steelers this year
Even with more experienced college quarterbacks like Kenny Pickett or Desmond Ridder, it’s not fair to expect them to be more prepared to lead this team for the 2022 season. Trubisky already has 50 NFL starts under his belt, and at 27 years old, he still possesses quality tools to work with.
This isn’t to say that Trubisky would be a better long-term option than whichever QB they would end up selecting in the 2022 NFL Draft. In fact, I would probably bet against it. However, if the goal is to select a quarterback who can come in and contribute right away, perhaps the Steelers have it backward.
Because Pittsburgh already has a serviceable veteran in place who is an ideal fit to run Matt Canada’s offense, it makes far more sense for the Steelers to go with a QB with upside in the NFL Draft as opposed to the more pro-ready option.
The candidates they should consider are Malik Willis, Matt Corral, and Sam Howell. In my opinion, these ‘project’ quarterbacks with more arm talent make more sense. They can sit and learn Canada’s offense and earn a chance to start in 2023.
However, the best option is probably ignoring the QB position altogether in the 2022 NFL Draft and trying again to find Ben Roethlisberger’s long-term successor in 2023. It’s pretty common knowledge at this point that this isn’t a strong QB class, and Pittsburgh would be wise not to tie themselves into a player who may not be better than Trubisky.
I don’t expect Mitch Trubisky to stick around long-term, but I do believe that he gives the Steelers the best chance to win football games in 2022 — regardless of which QB they draft this year.