LATROBE, Pa. -- The quarterback competition in Steelers camp will be watched with intense scrutiny. It's the first time there's been even a breath of quarterback controversy since Ben Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004. Now, after an 18-year career, it's time for someone else to take the reins.
In turn, we're going to provide updates on what each quarterback is doing throughout training camp -- where they are in the pecking order and, more importantly, how they are performing.
While we will be watching and reporting this competition closely, it's important to note that Mike Tomlin was very specific in how he plans to handle this situation.
"We're not going to micromanage or over-manage this quarterback competition," Tomlin said on reporting day. "The depth chart will not rest on every throw. ... We're gonna be a little bit more steady than that. I think it's important from a leadership perspective to not over-manage it; to not be too impulsive. That's what I relayed to those guys, and our actions will continue to display that mindset."
On this Day 3 on training camp ...
DEPTH CHART
1. Mitch Trubisky
2. Mason Rudolph
3. Kenny Pickett
4. Chris Oladokun
Just as it was the first two days of camp, the four quarterbacks rotated in order throughout individual drills while Trubisky, Rudolph and Pickett rotated in team drills. And just as it was Thursday, only Trubisky and Rudolph took reps during seven shots.
MITCH TRUBISKY
• In terms of results, Trubisky's performance during seven shots wasn't as productive as it was Thursday. While he went 0/3, two passes were where they should have been, but were broken up by defenders. One was broken up by Terrell Edmunds on a fade to Zach Gentry, and Damontae Kazee "hit" Kevin Rader as the ball arrived. The latter could have been pass interference.
• Trubisky had a couple nice throws, both to George Pickens. The first was an out route to the sideline. Trubisky could have led his receiver a tad more, but Pickens was able to muscle the ball away from Ahkello Witherspoon jumping the route. Still not an easy throw. The second came off play-action, and Trubisky hit Pickens going up the seam. He found the soft spot in zone coverage and put it on the money.
• Trubisky's best throw was undoubtedly hitting Gentry up the seam. There was a lot of traffic and Trubsiky put the ball up top where only the massive Gentry could get it. Gentry went up and got it, which got a good response from the fans on hand. It's a throw only a good NFL quarterback can make.
• Not as many aggressive throws from Trubisky today, but did enough to show why he's the No. 1 guy in the depth chart. Trubisky is also playing against the first-team defense, so some incompletions might be completions if he's playing against lesser talent. That being said, the defense was on point during Friday's practice.
MASON RUDOLPH
• Rudolph looked much better in seven shots this time around. After two lackluster reps Thursday, Rudolph went 2/3 with two touchdowns. One was a swing pass to Jeremy McNichols on busted coverage, and the other a hard bullet on the money to Steven Sims in traffic on the goal line.
• Rudolph took some more shots down the field today, including an incomplete pass to Miles Boykin that was barely overthrown. He finished his second series of 11-on-11 reps with a nice throw down the middle to Gunner Olszewski for 15 yards.
• As expected, Rudolph completed a high percentage of short throws. He went 4/4 during seven-on-seven, and all four completions were within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
• One play that stood out to me was during his final set of reps. He dropped back, looking for a deep ball down the left sideline. The pocket collapsed, he stepped up amidst pressure and checked down to McNichols right at the last second. It was a play made by a veteran. Nothing flashy, just go through progressions for as long as you can, extend the play however possible and get positive yards out of it.
KENNY PICKETT
• A lot of short throws from Pickett -- significantly more than either Trubisky or Rudolph. But unlike those two, his completion percentage wasn't very high. He went 0/3 in his first series, though one of the incompletions was more than likely due to pass interference. He would have been sacked twice during this series.
• Pickett's best throw of the day was actually his only deep throw. He put it right on Boykin, who beat the defender, but it hit his hands and was incomplete.
• Pickett worked with a few play-action plays and at least one RPO, but didn't find much success on those plays.
• In his final series, Pickett tried a quick screen off the snap, but it was batted down by DeMarvin Leal. It was that kind of a day for Pickett.
QB THOUGHTS
Trubisky is still the No. 1 guy, but Rudolph might be the most consistent through three days of practices in shorts. What we're seeing from Rudolph is what anyone would expect who's watched him play throughout his career. It is rather interesting to hear Chase Claypool say this about Rudolph:
"All the receivers say he's one of the most accurate quarterbacks. Like, it's crazy how accurate he is. He doesn't get enough praise and attention. He's just as in the running as each of those guys."
To reiterate, training camp is a great time to test throws. I'm still seeing more of that from Trubisky. However, Rudolph's poise and consistency clearly makes him the No. 2 right now. But, so much can change in a matter of days. Players will be in pads Monday. In what's already been a pretty competitive camp, the intensity will only go up from here.
