It's official: The Steelers have named Kenny Pickett as the new starting quarterback.
The team released its updated depth chart Tuesday morning, and Pickett had supplanted Mitch Trubisky atop the list of quarterbacks. Mike Tomlin confirmed the move Tuesday afternoon at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
It's no secret the fans have pushed for Pickett to be the starting quarterback since he was selected 20th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Tomlin remained steadfast with Trubisky through OTAs, minicamp, training camp, the preseason and the first three games of the regular season. With the offense struggling to move the ball, sustain drives and ultimately score points, Tomlin feels this is the appropriate time to hand over the reins of the offense to the former Pitt Panther.
"Kenny has shown us maturity at every point through this process," Tomlin said. "He's older than most rookies, and that was obviously discussed leading up to the draft process. The things we valued in him from a draft perspective -- fluid and quick decision making, pro-like anticipation and things of that nature -- have proven to be true. That's why we took him when we were given the opportunity to do so. Since we acquired him, he's done nothing but fortify that thought process."
Trubisky's time as the starting quarterback has not gone well. His 5.6 yards per attempt rank dead last in the NFL, while he has only completing 59.5% of his passes. Ultimately, the offense has produced only four touchdowns in 14 quarters with Trubisky at the helm.
"Mitchell's performance was a component of the decision, but it was not the only component of the decision," Tomlin explained. "We haven't moved the ball fluidly enough to our liking. We hadn't put enough points on the board. The quarterback is a component of that, but not the only component. ... When you make a quarterback change, you're really sensitive to that component of it because I don't want to dump the responsibility of what transpired at Mitch's feet. That's not fair to him. He's played better than that description. But we haven't."
Pickett, however, was brought in by Tomlin to "spark" the offense in the second half of Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Jets. Despite throwing three interceptions -- two of which were not really his fault -- Pickett did just that, producing two touchdown drives in the second half to give the Steelers a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
"Hopefully, that's a catalyst for us as we try to move forward and change the outcome of some of these games," Tomlin said. "Our business is winning. We're about our business, and we've lost three games in a row."
The road ahead with Pickett won't be easy. The Steelers face the Bills, Buccaneers, Dolphins and undefeated Eagles before their bye week, with the trip to Orchard Park, N.Y. coming this Sunday. Tomlin, Matt Canada and the rest of the coaching staff don't have the luxury of dumbing down the playbook to aid their rookie quarterback, and it doesn't look like they are planning to either way.
"We have no reservations about what Kenny is going to be capable of in terms of our schematics," Tomlin said. "Obviously, we have a level of concern about the environment we're taking him into. But, you have a level of concern about any quarterback that you take into that environment versus that defense in that venue."
It's unclear how long the leash will be for Pickett moving forward. Tomlin did say he considered going back to Trubisky this week, especially considering his familiarity with Buffalo. However, Pickett's impact on the offense did enough to give Tomlin the confidence to make the permanent switch to Pickett moving forward.
"I thought we moved more fluidly. We put some points on the board. Obviously, it wasn't a perfect half of play. We turned the ball over some, and you can't do that," Tomlin said. "He's a young guy. He's going to grow throughout this process. But make no mistake about it. We're not grading him on a curve. He's not grading himself on a curve. There's an expectation of quality play and playing to win."
MORE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE
• Trubisky signed a two-year contract worth $14,285,000 to be the Steelers' starting quarterback. Tomlin confirmed that Trubisky will be the backup for Pickett, and that the six-year veteran took the news pretty hard.
"There was disappointment. He's a competitor. He's a professional. He's a hard and diligent worker," Tomlin said. "He wants to be a positive contributor to our efforts and the reason why we're successful. The change doesn't afford him an opportunity to do those things."
Trubisky signed with the Steelers in an effort to revive his career and prove he can be a starter in the NFL. After Chicago made him the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Bears parted ways after four seasons. Then, Trubisky spent last season as Josh Allen's backup with the Bills. Being a backup wasn't what Trubisky had in mind, but Tomlin expects him to embrace that role now that Pickett in the starter.
"I'm sure Mitch is going to be professional. Mitch has been a part of that program in Buffalo," Tomlin said. "I'm sure he's going to be a positive contributor to our readiness and provide awesome insight throughout the preparation process and be a big help to Kenny."
• After remaining relatively healthy through the first couple weeks of the season, injuries are now beginning to stack up for the Steelers. Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) is expected to be be out again this week. Minkah Fitzpatrick has a knee injury that "needs to be managed," according to Tomlin. Cam Sutton has a groin injury. Cam Heyward is working through elbow and ankle injuries. Finally, Terrell Edmunds in the concussion protocol.
• With four weeks now gone by, Calvin Austin is eligible to return to practice with the team from the injured/reserve list. However, Tomlin did not provide much clarity regarding how close he might be to earning a spot on the active roster. Austin's return to practice starts the 21-day window for the team to evaluate his return to health.
"The 21-day window, the quality of his work and what he's able to do within that window oftentimes determines what you do from there," Tomlin said.
If Austin cannot return by the end of the 21-day window, he would revert back to IR and be out for the rest of the season.
• Gunner Olszewski has fumbled twice in four games as the team's punt returner, and one of them set up the Patriots in the red zone during the 17-14 loss in Week 2. I asked Tomlin where his comfort level was with Olszewski, and he didn't mince any words.
"Not very high, to be quite honest," Tomlin said. "You can't put two balls on the ground in four games and feel good about it. Two is a pattern in the National Football League. ... We've got some work here this week and some decisions to make. He's gotta get us to a level of comfort and we look at some other options as well."
Olszewski is still listed as the starting kick and punt returner on the Steelers' updated depth chart.
