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LATROBE, Pa. — Mitchell Trubisky will make his second consecutive preseason start when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Saturday night. Trubisky came to Saint Vincent College as the Steelers’ No. 1 quarterback, and he will leave it with the same distinction.
Kenny Pickett, however, will be the second quarterback to take the field against the Jaguars, following by Mason Rudolph. Pickett, who has enjoyed a steady progression since being drafted by the Steelers with the 20th overall pick, was the third quarterback to play in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener.
“We simply want to see Kenny in more varsity action,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of the alteration in the quarterback lineup. “We know more about Mason. Mitch has been around the professional game obviously. So this is a big week for [Pickett] in terms of maybe getting in in the first half of this game, and I would imagine getting the opportunity to see frontline defenders for Jacksonville. And so I’m excited about those guys continuing to work and lead and make plays and take care of the football, all the things that we value.
“Whether it’s the formal components of the job or the informal components to the job, I’ve really been impressed by the group, and we’ll just continue to sort through it day-by-day and obviously in stadium performance is a significant component of it.”
Tomlin said that he doesn’t have a specific time when he will insert Pickett into Saturday’s game. He does expect him to get time with members of the first-team offense, something that Pickett has yet to do in a live setting against another NFL defense. Pickett primarily worked with the third team during his initial months with the team before recently getting work with the first and second-team units.
All three quarterbacks played well in their preseason debuts. Trubisky threw for 63 yards and a score while leading the Steelers on a 90-yard scoring drive to open the game. Rudolph engineered two scoring drives that included his 26-yard touchdown pass to rookie George Pickens. Pickett played the entire second half, going 13 of 15 for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Rudolph, the longest tenured of the Steelers’ quarterbacks, spoke with the media just prior to Tomlin’s press conference. He brushed off questions regarding his future with Pittsburgh while remaining locked in on his ongoing position battle.
“Those are all scenarios that I have no control over, so that’s not what my focus is on right now,” Rudolph said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “My focus is on going down and put the finishing touches on this week, today’s practice and tomorrow’s walkthrough and getting to Jacksonville. So I have no idea.”
Tomlin also provided an update on another notable position battle. He said second-year lineman Kendrick Green will start at left guard. Green, who started at center during his rookie season, is competing with third-year veteran Kevin Dotson for the starting left guard spot. Tomlin said that Dotson’s recent injury played a role in Green getting the starting nod for Saturday.
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