Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced on Tuesday that the team’s starting quarterback will be Mitchell Trubisky, but he also addressed a big controversy regarding their backup quarterback situation.
The team released its “official” depth chart on Monday, which showed veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph as the No. 2 quarterback over rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett.
However, the team needed to clarify that their No. 2 quarterback is actually Kenny Pickett due to a “clerical error” from the Steelers while making the depth chart.
“It was a clerical error,” Tomlin said during a press conference on Tuesday. “You know, that’s how the depth chart was listed at the start of training camp so the cut and paste component was the cut and paste component. I know you were hoping for a more colorful explanation, but it is what it is. That’s what happened.”
You would think that an NFL team in 2022 would never make a mistake this big due to a simple cut-and-paste error, but this hilarious mistake has certainly gotten the attention of the NFL world.
https://twitter.com/acpregler/status/1567193374016274433
People are going to think Mike Tomlin changed his depth chart because of Twitter backlash.
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 6, 2022
"The cut and paste component was the cut and paste component." – Mike Tomlin giving the same excuse I gave my 7th grade literature teacher when half the class turned in the same paper
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) September 6, 2022
“The cut and paste component was the cut and paste component.”
Well, at least Mike Tomlin is already in midseason form.
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) September 6, 2022
Mike Tomlin gives the best answers https://t.co/uppRfoGy43
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) September 6, 2022
The decision for the Steelers to make Pickett the No.2 quarterback will certainly have a profound impact in Pittsburgh for the rest of the season.
Tomlin also announced on Tuesday that the team will likely only be fielding two active quarterbacks for their game against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend, meaning that Pickett will see action if anything happens to Mitchell Trubisky.
For the time being Trubisky will be the starter in Pittsburgh. But if he has early season struggles we may see Pickett get some game action sooner rather than later.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.