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."
Day 4 of training camp was the final day without pads, and there's plenty to take away from it ...
DEPTH CHART
1. Mitch Trubisky
2. Mason Rudolph
3. Kenny Pickett
4. Chris Oladokun
The Steelers have rolled with the this order from the first day of training camp, along with Oladokun not taking any reps during team drills.
The only difference from the first three days of practice was Pickett finally getting a crack at seven shots, and he didn't disappoint. But, let's go in order of the depth chart.
MITCH TRUBISKY
• For the second straight day, the defense got the better of Trubisky in seven shots. His first ball was overthrown to George Pickens on a fade in the back left corner of the end zone, then he had his next two passes broken up on short throws at the goal line. His only completion was to Connor Heyward just short of the goal line, and the defense was able to stop Heyward short.
• Trubisky's day was very hit-and-miss. He had a few throws that look like they came from a second overall pick. However, Trubisky is also facing the first-team defense, and T.J. Watt made his presence known. Watt batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage during third down drills, then read a short screen to Pickens the whole way and picked off Trubisky, who tried to force the ball to his receiver. Watt returned the interception for an easy touchdown.
• Trubisky targeted Pickens at least five times today, and it seems like he's building a comfort level with the rookie receiver. He targeted him both inside and outside, and the two were able to find soft spots in the defense's zone coverage multiple times. One benefit of Diontae Johnson's hold-in and injuries to Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth is getting more reps with guys like Pickens.
• Trubisky went a perfect 4/4 during seven-on-seven, which should be expected for most NFL starters. His best throw was on a skinny post to Heyward up the middle for a sizable gain.
MASON RUDOLPH
• Rudolph earned two reps in seven shots, and his one completion was arguably the most quirky play of training camp thus far. The defense jumped offside and Rudolph tried to quickly let go of the ball off his back foot. The ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage, then Donovan Stiner dove for the ball and nearly came down with the interception. However, the ball popped back up in the air and Heyward dove and came down with the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. It's a play that doesn't actually happen in a game because of the offside, but still cool to witness.
• Rudolph had the best overall performance of the trio today. With the defense flying around the field, he maintained his poise and completed passes on a variety of routes. High completion percentages during this portion of camp mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, but Rudolph was highly accurate in the vast majority of his throws Saturday.
• Rudolph's best throw came during seven-on-seven, where he also went 4/4. His final throw was on a deep out route to Tyler Vaughns, and he put it up high where only Vaughns could get it in tight coverage. Vaughns came down with it and tapped both feet in for a completed pass.
• One of the biggest knocks on Rudolph coming into camp is settling for too many short throws. However, he tested the waters a bit more often Saturday, and looked good doing it. Two of his completions were on skinny posts, and he displayed the accuracy praised by Claypool doing it.
KENNY PICKETT
• Pickett's first rep of team drills was his first crack at seven shots. A good chunk of the very large crowd on hand (approximately 17,000) at Saint Vincent College cheered him on as he entered the huddle. Pickett dropped back and placed a perfect pass for Vaughns running a fade to the back left corner of the end zone. Vaughns jumped up and got it, then came down with an elbow in bounds for a touchdown. It was a perfectly-placed ball, and one of the only two successes for the offense during seven shots. It was also an equally impressive catch by Vaughns.
• Pickett followed up his lone rep in seven shots with an 0/4 in his first 11-on-11 series, and tried to do way too much on the first two plays. You hate to see a quarterback check down during drills in shorts, but smart decisions are critical for young quarterbacks.
• It seems like a small detail, but Pickett had to overcome two low snaps out of the shotgun. On the first, he was able to recover and hit his running back for a quick check down. Then, on the second, he was able to adjust quickly and make a clean hand off on a sweep. Good to see him not panic in those situations.
• Pickett had the only incompletion during seven-on-seven, but it was dropped by Jace Sternberger on the sideline. It was a busted play where Pickett had to roll left and read the defense on the run. Pickett found Sternberger, but he wasn't able to come down with the accurate pass.
QB THOUGHTS
The defense is clearly ahead of the offense right now, which is not surprising at this moment in camp. Trubisky is facing the first-team defense, which could be one of the best defenses in the NFL. He's also working with some receivers that won't be there come September. That's why it's impossible to draw any conclusions based off what we've seen thus far in Latrobe.
That being said, Rudolph looks very good thus far. He's come in with a lot of poise and been the most consistent quarterback during drills. That doesn't mean he's nipping at Trubisky's heels for the top spot in the depth chart, but it's hard to imagine a quarterback looking this good and not getting a helmet on Sundays.
Again, this is so early in the process. As Tomlin said after practice, when the pads come on next week, "we'll get an opportunity to stop speculating, and start looking at the realities of play."