When the Steelers' quarterback competition first began in OTAs, all of the focus certainly went on how Mike Tomlin would set the depth chart. Then, once Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett were set in that order, it was only a matter of time before the cream would rise to the top and the Steelers would have their bonafide starting quarterback for Week 1 in Cincinnati.
Here we are, more than two months removed from that first day of OTAs with two preseason games and an entire training camp in the books, and Tomlin still has yet to officially announce his Week 1 starter. In fact, when he addressed the media after Monday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Tomlin was asked about a number of positions that are still up for grabs.
"A lot of spots are going to come down to this work," Tomlin said, stressing the importance of the upcoming preseason finale against the Lions. "This work is weighted differently, and appropriately so. ... Make no mistake, this is a significant game for a lot of people."
Even the starting quarterback job?
"Yes."
Now, Tomlin hasn't come out and said it, but this has been Trubisky's job to lose from the beginning. He's taken virtually all of the first-team reps in practice and started both preseason games. Meanwhile, Pickett has seemingly supplanted Rudolph at the No. 2 in the depth chart.
However, perhaps the most significant takeaway from the overall body of work thus far: The entire trio has played really well.
Tomlin hasn't officially named a starter because nobody's taken the bull by the horns and seized the job. Conversely, he hasn't had to come out and make that announcement because all three guys have played significantly well both in practice and in stadiums.
"I can tell you, it's got to be a tough decision," Gunner Olszewski told me Monday. "Everybody's playing good."
"I think that just speaks to that talent we have in that room," Miles Boykin also told me. "And I think all three of those guys are capable of playing at a high level."
All together, the trio has completed 54 of 73 passes for 514 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. That's a 120.5 quarterback rating -- all while the offensive line has played poorly enough to be reamed out by Tomlin.
What's more, it's not one guy carrying the load. Pickett's 138.6 rating is far and away the highest of the group, and he's engineered two touchdowns while running the two-minute offense. However, Trubisky's 108.5 rating is perhaps more impressive given how often he's had to evade pressure. In addition, he's also been the most successful at stretching the field, and it's shown with 8.2 yards per attempt (YPA).
Before I move onto Rudolph, I want to stress how important that number is. The last time Ben Roethlisberger hit that mark was in 2015 (8.4 YPA). It's no secret that throwing the ball down the field has been a major issue over the past few seasons. When it's showing up in practice and in game action, it's worth noting.
But while Trubisky and Pickett are getting the lion's share of attention, Rudolph has put together a very solid camp. His 106.2 rating may be the lowest of the group, but that's an amazing problem to have. In addition, when he's playing against third-stringers in the second half of a preseason game, he should be one of the best players on the field, and he was in Saturday's 16-15 win over the Jaguars.
There's one way that speaks to the consistent level of quarterback play. From the start of OTAs, multiple receivers have said they can't tell who's in the pocket making throws during individual or team drills, whether it be the timing, placement or even the spin of the ball. Even after OTAs, minicamp, training camp and two exhibitions, every receiver or tight end I've spoken with maintains the same praise.
"It seems like we're never arguing or complaining about the ball not being in a good spot," Olszewski told me. "So, that's all I can tell you from our receiver room. They've been putting the ball in a great place. (You) almost can't tell who's in."
So, what has stood out? It's not easy for a guy like Trubisky to come in and learn a new offense while trying to revive his career as a starter. It's also not easy for a guy like Pickett to come in as a rookie and learn the speed and complexity of the NFL game and still technically be in the running for the starting job with only one preseason game to go.
I asked a few different receivers and tight ends about this, including Zach Gentry, and leadership has been a consistent trait.
"You can't even tell anymore that they were kind of behind the eight ball going into camp," Gentry said. "But, the thing has been impressive about those two guys especially is huddle presence. From Day 1, I can remember in OTAs Kenny and Mitchell both going in and just commanding the huddle."
"Their communication has been spot on since Day 1," Boykin also told me.
In fact, multiple guys gave me high marks on the way Trubisky and Pickett have assumed leadership roles. Boykin, who's trying to earn a roster spot among a very deep group of receivers, had another word to describe them.
"They are two poised players," he said. "I don't think I've seen either one of them yell about something, which is great at the quarterback position. If they're calm, the offense is going to be calm. We go as they go. I think they're doing a great job from the leadership perspective."
But, Rudolph hasn't done anything worthy of falling to the third spot in the depth chart. And it can't be easy for him with this being his first real shot at a starting job with Roethlisberger now retired, not to mention the trade rumors constantly swirling around. In the face of all those potential roadblocks, Rudolph has been as consistent as any quarterback on the roster.
"I don't even know if I've noticed anything differently about him," Gentry told me. "I think he's playing real cool, calm and collected. I think he looks comfortable in the pocket. He's making all the right reads in these games and in practice, and he's spinning the ball really well. ... He's just playing with some confidence."
It's never easy when a franchise quarterback hangs up his cleats. Steelers fans should know all too well of the gap between Terry Bradshaw and Roethlisberger. And the Steelers are in a similar situation to where they were in the 1990s and early 2000s. The defense is primed to be one of the best in the NFL while the offense has some questions that need answered before anyone dare declares them a Super Bowl contender.
But perhaps the best thing that could have happened during this preparation for the season is playing out. Of all the roster concerns before the Steelers open the season against the defending AFC champions, the quality of quarterback play is not one of them.
• While Trubisky, Pickett and Rudolph are pushing each other and have been for the past couple of months, Chris Oladokun hardly saw any team reps in training camp and didn't sniff the field during either preseason game. And now the Steelers' seventh-round pick has been released. It's not impossible for him to come back as a member of the practice squad. But this makes the quarterback picture just a tad more clear.
