The Pittsburgh Steelers will have veteran Mitch Trubisky as their starting quarterback once again this season. With rookie Kenny Pickett in concussion protocol, the Steelers announced that Trubinsky would take over under center for the upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers.
Trubisky, second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, signed with the Steelers on a two-year deal in the offseason. The North Carolina product was named Week 1 starter but failed to do enough to keep the job. He was benched midway through the Week 4 game against the New York Jets for Pickett and never managed to get his job back.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Trubisky said after the decision was made public. “I’ll be ready to go. I feel like I had a good week of practice. I’m ready to bounce back.”
The news is somewhat a surprise since it seemed that the Steelers might lean towards third-string QB Mason Rudolph to start against the Panthers. Rudolph will become a free agent after the season, and it would make sense for Pittsburgh to get another look at him in game action before making a decision. The 27-year-old even got endorsed by wideout Diontae Johnson earlier in the week, but that didn’t seem to help much.
The Steelers are currently 5-8 and have all but lost their chances to make the playoffs.
