Mitch Trubisky had hoped to reignite his NFL career as a starting quarterback when the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him as a free agent in March. While they remained committed to that course, the fact they drafted Kenny Pickett in the 1st round made it obvious he was on the clock. There was no room for mistakes. He had to play well and do it quickly. As is often the case in these situations, it didn’t go as he’d hoped.
After an ugly first half where he managed just 84 yards passing and an interception, Trubisky was benched in the second half against the New York Jets. That in itself is interesting. Here is where it gets insane. The Chicago Bears benched Mike Glennon in favor of a rookie Trubisky on October 2nd, 2017. Now on October 2nd, 2022, Trubisky is the one getting benched for a promising 1st round pick. Five years to the day. That is an insane level of symmetry to a guy’s career. Nobody can say the football gods lack a sense of humor.
October 2, 2017: Mike Glennon benched for Mitchell Trubisky.
October 2, 2022: Mitchell Trubiksy benched for Kenny Pickett.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 2, 2022
???? Kenny Pickett takes the field to open the second half for his Steelers regular season debut pic.twitter.com/cRv4fbEDCs
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) October 2, 2022
The guy has been a first-class citizen in the NFL. He works hard and competes with everything he has. Unfortunately, playing quarterback at this level is one of the hardest things to do in professional sports. Only a handful of human beings on the planet can do it. Teams have long since figured out how to play him effectively. He never learned how to adjust to those changes. When the Steelers realized that would never happen, they did the only thing they could.
Pickett will likely get the rest of the season to build experience. Barring an injury, that was the last time Trubisky will start a game for the Steelers. It may also be the end of his run as a starter in the NFL. He won’t go down in history as the biggest bust ever. He’ll simply be another in a long line of overdrafted disappointments.
