Steelers' Skylar Thompson Makes Confession About What Led To Great Preseason Performance

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had significant turmoil at the quarterback position in recent years. Ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, the team has been searching for a solution at the most important position in football, but one has not been found just yet. The organization has turned the quarterback room over completely for the second season in a row in 2025, and the group is led by Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback. Behind him is the trio of Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and rookie Will Howard.

Pittsburgh typically only keeps three quarterbacks on the roster going into each season, and Thompson seemed like the odd man out going into training camp. Rodgers was the starter, Rudolph was the experienced backup, and Howard was the fan-favorite rookie the organization was looking to develop. However, things changed when Howard got injured in camp, and Thompson went on to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league during the preseason. He solidified his spot on the roster, and he wound up making the final 53. Thompson spoke to the media and explained his mindset going into camp and the preseason.

"I was very confident in the work I put in this preseason," Thompson said. "What I put on tape -- had confidence whether it was going to be here [in Pittsburgh] or somewhere else, that was going to be the best move for me. That really set me free. A guy in my shoes, you have to make the most of your opportunities. I just felt like my mind was on the right things, so whenever the opportunity presented itself, I felt free and felt ready, and was able to play confident."

Thompson was the only quarterback on the roster at certain points of the 2025 offseason early, but it always seemed like a longshot that he would make the roster. Pittsburgh placed Howard on the Reserve / Injured List due to the injury to his throwing hand, which essentially opened up a spot for Thompson. He played so well in August that there could be teams looking to trade for Thompson at some point at the start of the year, which would be ideal for Pittsburgh prior to Howard being activated from IR.

Thompson completed over 73 percent of his passes for 498 yards and four touchdowns during the 2025 preseason, which certainly turned some heads around the league. Pittsburgh should be able to leverage his preseason performance, as well as his experience in the league in order to trade him to some quarterback-needy team. The veteran played for the Miami Dolphins in 10 games, while starting three of them. He has also started a playoff game for Miami, where the Dolphins were able to keep things respectfully close with the Buffalo Bills.

Steelers' Skylar Thompson Could Fetch Pittsburgh An Extra Day 3 Pick

Injuries happen all the time throughout the NFL, and quarterbacks could go down early in the 2025 regular season. If that were to happen, teams could be looking for additional quality quarterback depth. Thompson is the perfect candidate to fill a role like that. The Las Vegas Raiders recently acquired former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett for a fifth-round selection, so it should be easy to assume that the Steelers could get something similar for Thompson if the need is there.

It is hard to imagine that Howard would be activated to the roster with Thompson still in Pittsburgh, so it is completely reasonable to assume the organization might look to move Thompson in the near future.

What do you think about Thompson's comments on his mindset? Let us know in the comments below!

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