For the first time in many years, probably since Ben Roethlisberger won his first Super Bowl, the Steelers will do something a little different with their starting quarterback.
They will use him in the opening game of the preseason.
Nothing is official, of course. Coach Mike Tomlin has not named a starter, though it is widely apparent it will be Mitch Trubisky, and Tomlin has not revealed what he plans to do with his quarterbacks when the Steelers open their preseason Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks at Acrisure Stadium.
But it only makes sense to get a better look at the quarterback who was the prime target in free agency and assess his progress after three weeks of working entirely with the first team at training camp. In all likelihood, Trubisky will open the preseason the same way he is expected to begin the regular season — as the starter.
That is a departure from the preseason plan that was always in place with Roethlisberger, who would only play in one preseason game — whether there were three or four games — while Tomlin gave the majority of the reps to the backups.
For the past three seasons, the extended playing time usually fell to Mason Rudolph, who has started four of the past 11 preseason games. In that time, he has played well, completing 79 of 123 attempts for 982 yards and seven touchdowns while firmly establishing himself as Roethlisberger’s top backup.
But this is a different year, and the arrival of Trubisky and top pick Kenny Pickett has brought into question not only Rudolph’s position on the depth chart but also his status on the team. Maybe that’s why the fifth-year quarterback is taking nothing for granted.
Despite posting a 5-4-1 record in 10 regular season starts with the Steelers, he still feels he has something to prove.
“You’re always trying to prove yourself,” Rudolph said. “Every chance you get, you want to prove that you can do it. It’s one thing to do it in practice, it’s another to do it in a stadium.”
Then, he added: “We’ve got a lot of young guys, and I’m excited to lead those guys and make them feel comfortable out there when the bullets are flying.”
Curiously, what Rudolph does in the preseason may not affect his status with the team, one way or the other. In all likelihood, his fate will be determined by the performances of Trubisky and — even more so — Pickett, the team’s No. 1 draft choice.
If Pickett shows in the preseason he is capable of being the No. 2 quarterback, Rudolph’s future with the team could be jeopardized. However, the Steelers have long embraced the idea of having two NFL-ready quarterbacks on the roster, and right now, those are Trubisky and Rudolph.
Not surprisingly, Rudolph has been the most consistent of the three quarterbacks at training camp. It is his second year in Matt Canada’s offense, and his comfort level with what he is doing has been apparent.
“We’ve opened up the playbook even more than last year,” Rudolph said. “There’s more volume and concepts, more red-zone concepts. It’s nice to see some new wrinkles, and we’re excited about the schemes.”
Canada’s offense will involve more rollouts and moving pockets for the quarterbacks. Rudolph is not as fluid on the move as Trubisky and Pickett, but he has been more than adequate executing that wrinkle. But he said he has been working on pushing the ball down the field and throwing more deep passes to rookie receivers George Pickens and Calvin Austin III.
“Coach definitely emphasizes taking shots,” Rudolph said. “Chunk plays eliminate a lot of execution down the field. Any time we get a chance to throw a go ball, you get pressed, you get a matchup you think is advantageous, I’m trying to take that.”
Rudolph could conceivably see fewer of those chances in the preseason, especially with Trubisky expected to get some snaps and Pickett likely to get the most snaps to help accelerate his development. Where does that leave Rudolph?
For now, he doesn’t appear concerned.
“You have to utilize reps to the best of your ability,” Rudolph said. “Take advantage. We control what we can control.”
And sometimes, you have no control over the outcome.
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: August 9, 2022, 7:26 p.m.
Updated: August 10, 2022, 12:19 p.m.
