3 Pittsburgh Steelers playing their way off the roster in 2023

2. Mitch Trubisky, Quarterback

It might not seem like it, but Mitch Trubsiky really wasn’t that bad in 2022. He threw for 1,073 yards with four touchdowns and five picks — while completing 63.3 percent of his attempts. He had another touchdown on the ground as well, showing he can still move the ball with his legs on occasion.

The problem is, Pittsburgh was just 1-3 with him as the starter. That’s not all on Trubisky but the truth is, he’s a limited player that needs to have a lot of things go right around him in order to succeed. That was the case back in 2018 when he led the Chicago Bears to an 11-3 record, and again in 2020 when he was 6-3 as the starter.

Those two campaigns were why it seemed Trubisky would be a good bridge option in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot going right around him. The Steelers run game hasn’t been very good and even with some improvements lately, they’re still just 19th in the NFL in rushing yards — and Najee Harris is going for fewer than four yards per attempt.

On top of that, their defense is 22nd in yards and 14th in points. That means they need a quarterback who is more than a game manager, which is what Trubisky’s ceiling is.

The good news for him is that there are a couple of teams that could use such a player. One is the New York Giants, who have been good with Daniel Jones but would surely see Trubisky as an upgrade. The Atlanta Falcons could also decide he’s a better option than Desmond Ridder or even the New York Jets where Zach Wilson has been a disappointment.

Whatever the end result is, there are teams that might be interested and the Steelers are ready to move on with Kenny Pickett as their starter for the foreseeable future.