Ben Roethlisberger pitched his voice in on the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback discussion.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a choice to make at starting quarterback. They can go with the traveled Mitchell Trubisky who failed with the Chicago Bears and spent the last season learning as a backup under Josh Allen. Or, they can go with their shiny new object in rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett.
The hometown fans really want Pickett to be the starting quarterback. Not only does Trubisky bring kind of a bad taste to the mouth for his foul letdown performance as the Bears starter, but Pickett spent his college days as the QB at Pitt, so he’s a hometown favorite.
But what about the question no one cared to ask… What does Ben Roethlisberger think? Big Ben, who retired after the end of last season, spent 18 years with the Steelers winning two Super Bowls and going to six Pro Bowls. He knows the organization and the way head coach Mike Tomlin runs things.
Ben Roethlisberger thinks Mitchell Trubisky should start for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking on his new podcast (why does everyone have to have a podcast these days?) Roethlisberger put his vote in for Mitchell Trubisky. As transcribed by SI:
“In my opinion, I think Mitchell Trubisky is the starter,” Roethlisberger said in his new podcast Footbahlin’. “He should start. I think he’s a veteran, he’s been around for a while. He gives you, in my opinion, the best chance to win right now.”
It looks like the Steelers are going in that direction. According to Adam Schefter, the team named Trubisky as one of their captains on Monday, effectively solidifying him as the Week 1 starter over Pickett:
Steelers named their five team captains today: Mitchell Trubisky, Najee Harris, Cam Heyward, Miles Killebrew and TJ Watt.
Probably a strong indication of the direction the Steelers are going at quarterback on opening day vs. the Bengals.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2022
Trubisky went 29-21 as a starter in Chicago with a 64.1 percent completion percentage. The Bears went to the playoffs twice in his time in Chicago, losing in the Wild Card round both times.
It’s the smart choice. Give the veteran a chance to lose the job, and keep your rookie QB safe while he learns and prepares to take over at a later time.
