Pittsburgh Steelers Name Starting Quarterback

It's official. The Pittsburgh Steelers revealed their depth chart for the first game of the season Sunday afternoon, and quarterback Mitch Trubisky found himself atop it:

The #Steelers depth chart has been released and it’s now official: Mitch Trubisky is the starting QB. pic.twitter.com/hk7ZaU3mQ7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2022

Trubisky had been in the throes of a fierce camp competition all offseason with Mason Rudolph and rookie first-round pick Kenny Pickett. Apparently, Trubisky fended off his challengers and is poised to start the year in the team's opening contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. Interestingly, hometown hero Pickett doesn't even appear first in line to replace Trubisky in case of injury. That honor falls to Rudolph.

Trubisky has had a strong offseason ingratiating himself to the power brokers in Pittsburgh, playing well in the preseason and recently earning a captaincy. Initially the second overall pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2017 draft, ahead of the likes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, Trubisky followed four up and down seasons with the Bears with a year on the bench as Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen's backup. He came to the Steelers on a two-year, $14 million dollar deal signed in the early days of this year's free agency period.

Trubisky brings athleticism and mobility to a Steelers offense that had struggled in recent years under recently retired quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Though Pittsburgh perenially fields a star-studded receiver room, an offensive line that Pro Football Focus ranked as the 30th in the league entering the 2022 NFL season hints that Roethlisberger's declining skills weren't wholly to blame for Pittsburgh's struggles. Considering Pickett is the long-term answer for the Steelers, it makes sense not to expose him until the coaches have a chance to evaluate the talent they have around their quarterback.