Clues to who will be named Steelers starting QB are easy to follow

Head coach Mike Tomlin will be naming his starting quarterback soon. Here’s why we already know who will be under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nothing is ever set in stone in the NFL. We have seen our coaching staff and front office make some unpredictable decisions in the past when it comes to players to cut at the deadline or who to start. However, when it comes to who will be labeled as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers to begin the 2022 season, the trail of breadcrumbs is pretty easy to follow.

Since before free agency even started, many Steelers fans were banging the drum for Kevin Colbert to sign veteran quarterback, Mitch Trubisky. This was a move that Pittsburgh was able to pull off. While they didn’t need to pay him ‘starter money’ to get him to sign, the fact that he inked a two-year deal for over $14.2 million was our first clue that Trubisky was likely to be the starting QB this year.

In addition to signing for over $7 million per season, Trubisky had plenty of starting experience under his belt. He found some success in his second NFL season with the Chicago Bears, and as a former second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the tools were clearly there.

Last year in Buffalo, Trubisky had an excellent summer as he turned heads in both training camp and the preseason. Obviously, being behind Josh Allen meant that his opportunities were going to be very limited.

Early at Steelers 2022 training camp, Trubisky didn’t do a whole lot to separate himself from the pack, but he was working with the first-team offense each day — which again is another big clue that he would be the starter.

This didn’t change throughout the preseason. In all three games, Trubisky was the first quarterback on the field to begin the game, which is probably a great indication that the team intends to start him to begin the 2022 season.

Trubisky almost certain to be Steelers starter, but Pickett will get his chance

Based on the collection of evidence in front of us, I wouldn’t bet on anyone other than Mitch Trubisky being named the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers to begin the year. In addition to checking all of the boxes of things we would look for in making this decision, Trubisky strung together an impressive preseason and did nothing to hurt his chances.

While Trubisky is almost certain to be the man under center when the Steelers travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in Week 1, the veteran’s starting job isn’t going to be secure throughout the season.

The Steelers didn’t draft a 24-year-old quarterback with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft only to have him watch from the bench. If we get halfway through the season, and Kenny Pickett is still sporting a ballcap from the sidelines and holding a clipboard, it must mean that Trubisky is certainly doing something right.

However, the Steelers have an incredibly difficult schedule early on. If Trubisky proves to struggle and Pittsburgh gets off to a slow start to begin the season, it might not take much for Mike Tomlin to make the switch and roll with the player he believes is the future franchise QB of the team.

We don’t know exactly when Pickett will get his chance. It could come as early as 4-6 weeks into the season if things go south. However, all signs clearly point to Mitch Trubisky being labeled as the starting QB for the 2022 season. It’s only a matter of time before Mike Tomlin makes it official.