The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most well-run organizations in all of American sports. They’ve won a record six NFL championships as a franchise, and their consistency ranks amongst the best in the world.
In The Super Bowl era, Pittsburgh has had just three head coaches, all of who have won a Super Bowl title. Recognized by sports news each year, the team hasn’t had a losing season since 2003, by far the longest active streak in the league.
So how do they continue this sheer dominance and success? It all starts with the quarterback position because regardless of how good a defense is, you need a quarterback to help put up points.
With Ben Roethlisberger retiring after last season, it marks an end to the Steelers we’ve known for the last decade and a half. With three QBs on their current roster, all with a chance at being the starter, who’s got the best shot at being the long-term answer at QB for this storied franchise?
Mason Rudolph
Rudolph is the only gunslinger on the roster with previous experience with Pittsburgh. He knows the system very well from starting 10 games over three years. Rudolph has a winning record in those games, and that’s a statistic that’s worth noting.
Despite many not being a big fan of Rudolph’s game, he’s won. Even if that’s sometimes in spite of his performance, Rudolph knows what head coach Mike Tomlin expects out of his quarterback.
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy has thrown more TDs than interceptions, and he has a pretty solid passer rating of 81.1. But, Rudolph isn’t the answer long-term for Pittsburgh.
He hasn’t played in more than a couple of games in a season since 2019, and no one’s convinced he is the future of this team. Rudolph will be a serviceable backup for whoever he plays for throughout his career, but his use as a starter will be very limited.
Mitchell Trubisky
After being drafted by Chicago with the second overall pick, Trubisky wants to run away from his four years in Chicago. Though winning 29 games in his first 50 starts with the Bears, Mitch became the scapegoat for all the problems the Bears faced.
Trubisky definitely improved after his rookie season, throwing for double the touchdowns over interceptions twice in three years. In 50 games, the Bears decided that 64 TDs and 37 picks weren’t going to be good enough, and they let him go.
That’s when he made the mature decision to head to Buffalo to learn under head coach Sean McDermott and study how Josh Allen was able to find success. Trubisky seemed to have improved enough as a backup to earn a solid contract as a free agent with the Steelers.
Until this year’s draft, it appeared Trubisky would be the starter for the 2022-23 season. He has all the tools to win this job, and if he ends up succeeding, Pittsburgh’s going to look very good while it will reflect very poorly on Chicago’s ability to develop quarterbacks.
Kenny Pickett
All the top quarterbacks fell far in this year’s NFL Draft; everyone except for Kenny Pickett. Mike Tomlin and crew loved Pickett’s tape and decided that he had done enough to earn himself a first-round deal.
A surprise to some, the Steelers announced that the former Pittsburgh Panther will have a shot at winning the starting QB job in training camp. Tomlin doesn’t foresee needing to sit him out if he’s ready to go from the jump.
That tells you the confidence that they have in him as an NFL-caliber QB. the Steelers don’t just let anyone become their QB of the future, so they clearly trust Pickett to get the job done. As he stays in Pennsylvania, it will be comforting for the rookie QB to know the area and not have to learn the ins and outs of a brand new city.
Pickett’s consistency was his biggest knock in the draft process, and why many doubters have been vocal, predicting his demise. If he needs consistency to succeed, enter the Steelers. Their culture is the perfect fit for a guy who just needs stability, and he’ll be on his way to a fantastic career.
