A void of a third quarterback on the Steelers roster has prompted a jump-start in the competition in this weekend's Steelers rookie minicamp.
Three entrants are working with Matt Canada and Mike Sullivan, along with the rest of the incoming rookies on the offense, to put their names into the hat for a potential 53-man roster spot or, minimally, a practice-squad position once camp breaks in the fall.
The clubhouse leader as of this minicamp, nearly by default, is former Minnesota slinger Tanner Morgan, who was the lone among the position to join the Steelers as a priority undrafted free agent the day after the 2023 NFL Draft concluded two weeks ago.
While there is pedigree to like about him, it's all about translating it onto the NFL field.
"I think you have experiences, you have to learn from them," Morgan said after Saturday's practice on the South Side. "You learn from your experiences, the good and the bad, and be able to take those to the next opportunity, wherever that may be. .. But it's an entirely different league and an entire different system, so you have to be able to learn and adapt, as well."
Morgan is a college football veteran who held the starting job for six years at Minnesota. He holds program records for wins as a quarterback (33), completion percentage (62.2) and pass efficiency rating (151), and his 9,454 passing yards and 65 touchdowns each are second in program history.
He is the same age as Kenny Pickett, at 24 years old, though he was able to stand to benefit from the bonus year of college eligibility afforded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Listed at 6-foot and 204 pounds, he compares smaller in size to Pickett and incumbent backup Mitch Trubisky, and he wouldn't compare much athletically to Pickett, based on their numbers from Pickett's NFL Combine and Morgan's pro day in Minneapolis.
Morgan's arms measured an inch shorter than Pickett's, his 40-yard dash time was nearly a half of a second slower than Pickett's, his vertical was 3.5 inches shorter than Pickett's, and his broad jump five inches shorter than Pickett's.
(Remember the discourse over Pickett's hand size? Well, Morgan's are one inch wider than Pickett's. Eat your hearts out.)
So, yes, there are some limitations when comparing the two athletically, but at a minimum, Morgan provides a proven winner at the college level who was able to hold onto a starting quarterback job within the Big Ten for six seasons. The Golden Gophers spent 14 weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including 10 weeks ranked in the 2019 season with a ranking as high as No. 7, during Morgan's tenure.
“He’s a guy that’s played a lot," Mike Tomlin said Saturday. "He’s a six-year guy. He’s got some leadership intangible qualities. He’s been highly productive within that program. And so, his resume is pretty extensive for a guy in that position.”
Morgan might not be the most athletically gifted for his position, but makes up for it with technical skill at the position. Just from watching him over these past two days, one can see a college quarterback with a "been there, done that" moxie to him, even though this is just rookie minicamp.
He brings a certain mobility to him, too, just as Pickett does. It's not enough to put him in the Lamar Jackson echelon, but it is definitely comparable to Pickett, as far as that is concerned.
Sure, he might be able to have more of a feel and presence in the pocket, but Minnesota ran him in the shotgun far more often than under center and the Golden Gophers ran the 10th-most rushing plays over the last three seasons, at 64.5%. Minnesota led all Power Five programs and was fourth overall in college football in 2022 by running the ball just over 66% of the time.
He is one of three quarterbacks in this weekend's rookie minicamp, alongside former Rams quarterback Bryce Perkins and incoming rookie Hunter Johnson, who played in two games for Clemson last season while backing up DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik.
Now, just because Morgan was signed as a priority undrafed free agent, that does not mean he is locked in as the team's third-string quarterback. Perkins and Johnson certainly would have something to say about that, and it isn't impossible that a free agent with more experience could get signed.
"Definitely motivating to me," Perkins said. "I'm really excited to come out here and be a part of a new culture, be a part of a new staff, be a part of a new quarterback room and definitely just soaking it all in. You can't come to a different place with knowledge you may have had and try to say, 'we did it like this; you guys should do it like this,' so it's definitely hearing it and listening to it and absorbing all the knowledge that the coaches have and running the offense how they want to run it, and then, slowly, those things take care of themselves."
Morgan considered himself a "point guard" and a "contributor" who can be smart with and take care of the football. Feedback, of course, is coming from all angles, namely from Sullivan and Canada, though Morgan sees value in focusing on his own individual criticism and improvement.
"I think there's a lot," Morgan said. "Just, how great this organization is, and being able to show up every day and give your best and learning what to do, but understanding it to apply to the field is such a huge, huge thing. Just continuing to strive for perfection in that aspect and just get better every day."
MORE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE
• Rather, a couple of my observations, in brief, from Friday and Saturday.
First, to piggyback off of what DK mentioned after Friday's rookie minicamp, Darnell Washington looks as advertised. I took note of what Washington was doing and how fluid he looked at the tight end position on Saturday, and a couple of things stood out.
One, Washington's willingness to learn and absorb information. If he was not actively a part of the next play that was going to be run, he was often lending an ear into the huddle before taking steps back behind the play to observe. Regardless if he was going out for a route, going to block someone, or catching a long pass, he would nearly always check in with tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts right at the conclusion of the play.
Two, Washington's quickness off the ball. One can tell why he calls himself the "sixth offensive lineman" as a badge of honor. He has some sharpening up to do as a pass catcher, but his reputation as a blocker checks out.
• Cory Trice Jr. and Joey Porter Jr. are eerily similar in stature, and each earned some close-quarters work with Grady Brown on Saturday. Trice's length is sneaky.
• Delaware linebacker and undrafted free agent Johnny Buchanan earned some special teams reps, and he looked polished as a prospect while doing drills with the rest of the middle linebackers. He has the technical skill to be a tackling machine, though he's undersized at 6-foot, 230 pounds. The 23-year-old Buchanan was a second-team Football Championship Subdivision All-American, as voted by coaches, as he led all of FCS with 150 total tackles. Buchanan tallied nine games with at least 10 tackles and five games with at least 15 last season.
And, yes, he surely looks the part, as it was pointed out to me:
We just gonna overlook that yoked #26 behind him? Sheesh
— Joseph Aber (@WhyCertsainly) May 12, 2023
