Pittsburgh Steelers Sign QB Mitchell Trubisky

NFL Offseason – Great news, Pittsburgh Steelers fans: Mason Rudolph will not be your starting quarterback in 2022!

Bad news, Pittsburgh Steelers fans: Mitchell Trubisky will be your starting quarterback in 2022!  NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the Steelers have signed Trubisky to a two-year contract.

You probably know the Tale of Trubisky by now. He started 50 games over four seasons for the Chicago Bears, who traded up to select him second overall in the 2017 draft. (Internet law requires us to mention that both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were still on the board). Trubisky briefly looked like a rising star in 2018 if you did not look too closely, with 24 touchdowns and acceptable DVOA (19th) and DYAR (17th) rankings for a Bears team that won 11 games. But Trubisky’s limitations as a passer and decision maker soon caught up with him: he ranked 27th in DVOA in 2019 and 24th in 2020, when the Bears braintrust of Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace lost faith in him before losing faith in each other and themselves.

Trubisky spent last season backing up Josh Allen for the Buffalo Bills and watching as the 2022 quarterback rookie class failed to impress anyone while Ben Roethlisberger crumbled into a heap of dust like a vampire at sunrise every Sunday. With few other appealing options for teams that were in no position to swing a Russell Wilson-type blockbuster, NFL decision makers spent the last month talking Trubisky up as a viable “second chance” starter in an attempt to convince themselves and a skeptical nation. And here we are. 

The Steelers will likely hold a nominal quarterback competition between Trubisky and longtime Roethlisbackup Rudolph, with Dwayne Haskins also receiving some lip service. Realistically, the job will be Trubisky’s to lose. 

Trubisky’s arrival addresses the Steelers’ biggest need, which is not quite the same thing as filling that need. The Steelers must now repair their offensive line and reinforce the middle of their defense. 

It’s easy to be skeptical about this signing, but: a) the two-year deal means that the Steelers aren’t making any long-term commitments; and b) at least they didn’t trade for Carson Wentz. The Steelers can reset quickly if Trubisky picks up where he left off in 2019 and 2020.

Overall Mitchell Trubisky impact: With his ability to throw more than 30 yards without a Bugs Bunny windup and run three steps without his lumbago acting up, Trubisky is a likely upgrade over the mummified remains of Roethlisberger that shambled onto the field last year. The Steelers are probably hoping to be competitive as a defense-and-YAC team again in 2022. That’s certainly possible, but the rest of the AFC North won’t do them any favors. At best, Trubisky could anchor the Steelers around .500.

Fantasy Mitchell Trubisky impact: Trubisky nerfed Allen Robinson statistically. Try not to think of what he could do to Chase Claypool. 

Mitchell Trubisky’s early KUBIAK projections @fboutsiders

529-3483-22.6-14.0 and 60-232-2.7 (26th QB)

Trubisky’s Steelers signing lands him a likely starting job, but improved skill talent versus his CHI run doesn’t make him a top 20 fantasy QB for 2022.

— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) March 14, 2022