Over the years, veteran quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger and Ryan Tannehill have made media waves with their comments about not mentoring new, young quarterbacks brought into their room. Of course, that isn’t in their job description. Their job is to start, play well, win games, and try to bring home a Lombardi. But Mitch Trubisky shared a different philosophy, embracing younger players even as they both battle for the same starting job. Speaking with Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Sirius’ Movin’ The Chains, Trubisky talked about competing, but also helping, the young quarterback room.
“Me, Chris, Kenny and then Mason,” he told the show. “It’s a fun quarterback room, lots of talent all around. So every day we’re compete, we’re pushing each other. For me, I love to share my experience with the young guys. Just any pointers, any tips that I’ve learned through my past that could help them. I think it just speeds them up and makes the room even better.”
Pittsburgh has one of the biggest turnovers in its QB room with three of its four players being new to the team. Two of them are brand new to the NFL. Trubisky comes over from Buffalo by way of Chicago whereas Kenny Pickett and Chris Oladokun are being introduced to the league. The Steelers have one of the league’s few true QB battles between Trubisky, Rudolph, and Pickett. Trubisky and Rudolph are most directly battling for the starting job though Pickett has settled in and gotten better over the last handful of practices. Based on how things have gone the first two weeks of camp, Rudolph has played the best. But the battle is far from over and competition brings the best out of everyone.
“That’s what you want as a group. Just pushing each other, making each other better.”
It wasn’t long ago Trubisky was the former first round pick battling a veteran for a starting job. The Bears selected him 2nd overall in 2019 and he battled veteran Mike Glennon during camp. Glennon started the year but Trubisky started after four games, finishing out the year as the Bears limped to a 5-11 record. Last season, he sat behind a franchise QB in Josh Allen, helping offer the perspective of what makes a successful, Super Bowl competing team with a locker room that offered more stability than Chicago ever did.
Trubisky being on the other side of things gives him that perspective and empathy for where Kenny Pickett’s at today. Though Pickett is likely to take both of the veteran’s jobs, Trubisky won’t stand in the way of making Pickett – and by extension the team – the best version he and they can be.
