LATROBE, Pa. -- It's not any surprise, but now it's official: Mike Tomlin announced Mitch Trubisky as the starting quarterback for Saturday's preseason opener against the Seahawks.
Trubisky has been atop the depth chart since the start of OTAs, and hasn't given any reason to lose that spot during the first two weeks of training camp. That also leaves Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett playing with the second and third teams, respectively, as they have for the majority of OTAs, minicamp and training camp.
"Like I mentioned to you guys, I wasn't going to be blowing in the wind regarding the quarterback rotation," Tomlin explained Thursday morning. "We've been thoughtful about giving guys an opportunity to work in different groups. But, our intentions are to play them this first time out very much the way we started this process."
For Trubisky, he's excited to get in front of fans in the stadium, and also wants to get as many reps as possible. But, every one of those reps will be focused on sharpening everything that's coming together in practice.
"Good execution. We want to score some points, move the ball," Trubisky said of what he hopes to get out of the first preseason game. "A clean operation, be good in situational play and come out healthy."
Tomlin said the first team will play the first quarter, the second team will play the second and third quarters and the third team will play the fourth quarter, with some players "bleeding" between different teams. The example Tomlin gave is if a first-teamer lacks NFL experience, he may gain some extra reps with the second team, etc.
This rotation also has the second team closing out the second half and the third team closing out the game. This is why Rudolph and Pickett ran the two-minute drill to wrap up Wednesday's practice.
Of course, there is enormous pressure on both Rudolph and Pickett for the backup spot on the roster. It's not anything Rudolph hasn't been through before. He's been in constant competition for the backup spot behind Ben Roethlisberger since he was drafted in 2018. Now, he's competing for the spot behind Trubisky. But, he's not feeling any more pressure to perform in games than he has before.
"Every practice rep is big-time," Rudolph said Thursday. "Obviously, games are games. They’re valued higher than practices. You don’t want to overhype it."
There's also Pickett, who was selected in the first round of this year's NFL Draft. He's already an obvious fan favorite, given his days as the Pitt Panthers' quarterback. He's also fighting for the No. 2 spot, and fans will be anxious to see how he plays in his first action against an NFL team.
"Yeah. And they’ll see him. He’s going to get to play," Rudolph said of Pickett. "It will be a great opportunity for all of us to play."
QB THOUGHTS/TAKEAWAYS FROM PRACTICE
• Trubisky was very sharp during seven shots. The offense scored in at least three of his four reps, highlighted by a fade to George Pickens in the left corner of the end zone. The fourth and final rep was another fade to Pickens on the other side, but it's unclear whether or not he came down with full possession of the ball. It appeared that Tomlin waved off the touchdown. Either way, it was still a good throw and an even better session for Trubisky.
Seven shots has been the biggest struggle for Trubisky during camp, so it was good to see him excel in the final practice before Saturday's game.
• It's becoming more and more clear that Trubisky is turning his attention to executing plays rather than testing throws. There is much more communication happening pre-snap and after the play.
• Rudolph is about as consistent as it comes making short throws in the pocket. So far, I've wanted to see how he does on throws further down the field and when he's been forced to improvise. Rudolph has done better with the latter. Most days, we usually see at least one dime from Rudolph on a deep throw. There is still an apparent lack of comfort going beyond his first couple reads or when he's forced out of the pocket. I really want to see how that plays in preseason games.
• Pickett has really progressed with his accuracy throughout camp, and he is clearly much more effective outside the pocket. The biggest hurdle for him right now will be making reads and throws inside the pocket. He's really struggled at times when the defensive line makes a big push during drills.
In the preseason, he won't be going through drills. Yes, he'll be facing second- and third-stringers, but he'll be facing hungry players trying to make a roster. They won't stop until he's on the ground. As Tomlin said Thursday, "This guy hasn’t been in a live pocket yet."
