LATROBE, Pa. -- As the Steelers wrapped training camp at Saint Vincent College Thursday, there was little doubt that Mitch Trubisky would be named the starter for Saturday's preseason tilt in Jacksonville.
But after spending much of the week practicing with the second-team offense, Mike Tomlin confirmed Thursday that Kenny Pickett will immediately follow Trubisky against the Jaguars, leaving Mason Rudolph to finish the game with the third team.
"All three guys have performed well," Tomlin said. "I really think the main emphasis and mentality regarding how we structured it this week is we simply want to see Kenny in more varsity action. We know more about Mason. Mitch has been around the professional game, obviously."
Pickett has progressed nicely throughout training camp, and turned in a good performance -- including the game-winning touchdown pass -- in the Steelers' 32-25 victory over the Seahawks in the preseason opener.
However, much of that preseason experience came against third-stringers on a bad Seattle team. Jacksonville's pass rush will provide Pickett with a new challenge, testing how much he's progressed since training camp began.
"This is a big week for (Kenny) in terms of maybe getting in the first half of this game, and I would imagine getting an opportunity to see frontline defenders for Jacksonville," Tomlin said. "Obviously, in-stadium performance is a significant component of it, like I’ve mentioned repeatedly, because of the live pocket. Jacksonville has a high-quality rush with top-tier rush men."
Of the things Pickett struggled with early on, learning how to gauge his internal clock of when to get rid of the ball or escape the pocket might have been his biggest issue. That comes with time. The NFL game moves much faster than it does in college, and the Steelers are doing the right thing by getting Pickett a chance to test those waters.
Pickett is a first-round pick. The Steelers need to do right by him and put him in situations to help him grow at the right pace. Having Trubisky in to lead the team at the start of the season gives Tomlin a chance to do just that.
As for Rudolph, even though he had a consistent performance throughout camp, he's quickly fading out of the conversation.
By all means, Rudolph still has a chance to earn the backup job behind Trubisky. But, the Steelers didn't draft Pickett in the first round for no reason. They obviously envision him as the future starting quarterback. Putting him on the sideline with a helmet would be much better experience than being the third guy.
And with that becoming a very real possibility, trade rumors have begun circulating around Rudolph.
"Those are all scenarios that I have no control over," Rudolph told reporters Thursday morning. "My focus is on going down and putting the finishing touches on this week today with practice and then tomorrow’s walkthrough and then getting to Jacksonville. ... I really don’t read that stuff and my parents and family know not to send me any of the hypothetical stuff that they see from the outside."
Pickett has a real opportunity in front of him. If he can build off what he's done thus far and turn in a solid performance in an elevated role against the Jaguars, he might make the backup quarterback job a much easier decision for Tomlin.
MORE FROM THURSDAY'S PRACTICE
• Thursday was the final practice of training camp -- save for Friday's walkthrough ahead of the team's flight to Jacksonville -- and the fully-padded session nearly dealt the Steelers a catastrophic blow.
During the third rep of Seven Shots, Jaylen Warren took a handoff up the middle and scored with relative ease. But practice came to a screeching halt when Cam Heyward laid on the field in obvious pain for a considerable amount of time. The training staff came out, helped him get to his feet and Heyward walked off the field under his own power.
Heyward was later seen on the bench with a wrap around his high ankle/lower shin. He left the field before practice was over, but returned to the sideline walking under his own power with nothing on his leg or ankle.
Everything appears to be fine, but don't expect any playing time Saturday for Heyward. It goes without saying how important Heyward is to this Steelers team, and losing him for any length of time during the regular season could be disastrous.
• Trubisky closed out training camp with a solid day's work. He especially looked good throwing the deep ball, connecting with Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson on back-to-back throws.
There was little doubt that Trubisky would start and end camp as the starting quarterback, and he looked like the veteran quarterback this team needs to start the season. The final two preseason games will be about staying healthy and putting the finishing touches on getting this offense primed for Week 1.
For the upcoming game against the Jaguars, Trubisky said he'd like to play more than two series as he did against the Seahawks. As far as how much Trubisky plays, Tomlin said he plans to play it by ear.
"When I see enough and when I know I’m there, I’ll know it," Tomlin said prior to practice. "That’s just the mentality that we have."
• Thursday's practice focused more on game-planning than previous sessions. The team practiced with the silent count and had multiple sessions against the scout team. This was all done with the intention of putting more preparation of the opponent, just as the team does week in and week out during the season.
"Regardless of the climate, we’re just paying respect to the road-game venue and that process, traveling, taking this group on the road, some of the things that you kind of take for granted when you’re in it," Tomlin said. "We’ve got an 85-man group right now and many of these guys are new to us, so it’s an opportunity to teach and to learn."
• In a minor roster move prior to Thursday's practice, the Steelers signed RB Max Borghi and waived/injured Master Teague III.
• After leaving Wednesday's practice early, Isaiahh Loudermilk (ribs) returned to practice Thursday. Derek Watt (shoulder) and Marcus Allen (hamstring) only took part in individual drills Thursday. Calvin Austin III (foot), Alex Highsmith (ribs), Montravius Adams (ankle) and Arthur Maulet (hamstring) did not practice.
Tomlin said all that are healthy are scheduled to play Saturday in Jacksonville.
