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With the Pittsburgh Steelers traveling to Orchard Park for a game this coming Sunday, Buffalo Bills fans could see quarterback Mitch Trubisky in a familiar spot — on the sidelines, holding a clipboard.
Trubisky earned the starting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers going into the season, but was sent to the bench in favor of rookie Kenny Pickett in the team’s 24-20 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. An insider shared that the change is expected to become permanent, with Trubisky losing the job for good.
Steelers Bench Struggling Trubisky
Trubisky had struggled through three games as the Steelers starter, throwing for 653 total yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 59.5 percent of his passes. Trubisky went 7-of-13 for 84 yards and one interception when he was benched at halftime of Sunday’s game in favor of Pickett.
The rookie brought a spark to the Steelers, running for two touchdowns before struggling later in the game. Pickett ended up throwing three interceptions while the Jets came back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to win.
After the game, Trubisky didn’t want to publicly second-guess the decision from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
“Doesn’t matter what I think (of that decision),” Trubisky said. “He did what he thought was best for the team, and we came up short today.”
Steelers Plan for Buffalo Remains Unclear
It was not clear yet whether Trubisky could come back in for the October 9 game against the Bills, but some insiders predicted that Pickett would eventually take over starting duties on a permanent basis and warned against pulling him in and out depending on performance.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Tomlin said he wasn’t ready to make a decision.
“I’m not going to talk extended as we sit here,” Tomlin said, via Steelers beat writer Dejan Kovacevic. “We did what we needed to do to put ourselves in position to win this game, and we’ll do it again. But, I like to just keep it where we are. In terms of what transpired here today, we’ll deal with next week next week.”
Trubisky said he’s going to prepare the same either way.
“I just have to just come into work, be a good teammate, continue to try to be a leader for this team and go back to work and help any way I can,” Trubisky said. “It’s a tough deal. It’s definitely not what I wanted and not what I expected, but that’s part of it.”
The former No. 2 overall pick lost his starting job with the Chicago Bears during the 2020-21 season, the joined the Bills last year to play behind Allen. The Bills front office sold Trubisky on the chance to play for one season with the same coaching staff that molded Allen into a star quarterback, then return to free agency to compete for a starting job. That appeared to work as he beat out Pickett and veteran Mason Rudolph to win the starting quarterback spot.
While the team may not be ready to announce a decision, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers are expected to stick with Pickett, keeping Trubisky on the bench.
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