It was a short stint as starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers for newcomer, Mitchell Trubisky. The veteran signed a two-year deal back in March and he was expected to begin the year as the lead signal-caller at that time. The organization went on to draft Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft and it immediately was thought of when, not if, Pickett would be inserted into the starting lineup. The rookie is now officially first on the depth chart and is coming off of his first career start. Marc Ross of NFL.com is ranking the Steelers signing of Trubisky as one of the worst offseason moves throughout the league.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Mitch Trubisky enjoys a moment during practice in preparation to face the New York Jets on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, Oct 2. 2022. Photo Credit - (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Trubisky was just 69/116 with a 59.5% completion rate. He threw for only 653 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two interceptions. The offense sputtered for weeks and it ultimately led to head coach, Mike Tomlin benching Trubisky at halftime of the Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets. His leadership is still respected, but according to Ross, he simply did not get the job done.
"The Steelers have trumpeted Trubisky's leadership skills and praised him for being a great teammate, but I don't think those attributes were ever the question. He didn't perform in Chicago, and he didn't perform in Pittsburgh, which led to his benching in Week 4.""With Trubisky under center, the Steelers scored just four offensive touchdowns through three and half games. He also didn't have a single performance with at least 225 pass yards or 85-plus passer rating as the starter."
Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin and quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) on the sidelines during a 2022 regular season game against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Ross did not hold back when describing that the Steelers got exactly what they expected to get when the team signed Trubisky back in March.
"Trubisky is who we thought he was: a quarterback who makes half-field reads with poor vision and feel in the pocket, presents no threat of stretching the field, but shows the occasional ability to escape pressure with his legs."
Overall, it was time to make the move to Pickett as the veteran quarterback never really had a chance to hold onto his job for long after Pickett was drafted.
"Now, the entire Steelers' offense has been stagnant -- Mike Tomlin is motivated to find a solution after the Bills trounced the Steelers in Kenny Pickett's debut -- but based on what I saw early from the former No. 2 overall pick, it was time to move on, because he simply wasn't making the needed adjustments to get the offense back on track."
Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky warms up for a 2022 preseason game | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
It may be a tad too early to label the signing as such a bad move. Trubisky is still the next man up and a veteran presence in the locker room for Pickett as he begins his career is never a bad thing to have. We won't see Trubisky, barring injury to Pickett, but the signing could also prove to be worthwhile if the team decides to move on from Trubisky and move him to a quarterback-needy team before the trade deadline in a few weeks.
Do you agree with Ross and already label the signing of Trubisky as one of the NFL's worst? Let us know in the comments below!
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