Steelers' Biggest Questions to Answer in 2022 NFL Preseason
The two most-watched players at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp play the same position.
Quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett will be under intense scrutiny every time they take a snap over the next few weeks.
Pittsburgh drafted Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft as its long-term solution at the position, but he may not get the starting gig right away.
Trubisky is playing for a second chance after his stint with the Chicago Bears ended in disappointment. He will not give up the starting job easily, and that makes for one of the most competitive quarterback battles across the NFL.
All eyes will be on the quarterbacks in every preseason game and in training camp, but there are other positions generating buzz, including wide receiver.
Pittsburgh's draft picks at wide receiver flew under the radar because of all the talk about Pickett, but George Pickens and Calvin Austin III could be vital to the team's offensive retooling.
Who Starts at Quarterback in Week 1?
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Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett? That's the question Mike Tomlin and the Steelers offensive staff need to answer before Week 1.
The 27-year-old received the majority of the snaps with the first-team offense throughout the summer and at the start of training camp.
Pickett was practicing with the third-team offense, but he moved up to the second team on Monday.
Tomlin told reporters not to read too much into the rotation between Pickett and Mason Rudolph.
"There will be more of that. All of those guys are running in all groups, it's just part of team development," he said.
When asked by a reporter if we shouldn't read into it as now being Pickett as No. 2 and Mason as No. 3, Tomlin added: "You should not, but I'm sure you will."
We may not read much into the switch between Pickett and Rudolph, but we will overreact if Pickett receives more snaps with the first team over Trubisky in the four preseason games.
The North Carolina product is not a lock to start at quarterback, but he appears to be the safest option going into Week 1 because Pickett is making the jump from college to the NFL.
Tomlin and his staff will try to make the 24-year-old as comfortable as possible before throwing him into game action.
Pickett has a month to win the job, but it may not be that easy if Trubisky makes few mistakes in training camp and preseason games.
The quarterback battle will be the talk of the preseason no matter how it plays out and every other storyline is secondary to this one.
Can the Wide Receiver Draft Picks Make an Instant Impact?
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You may want to start getting familiar with George Pickens and Calvin Austin III.
The second- and fourth-round draft picks, respectively, could have a greater impact on the Steelers offense than we first expected.
Pickens has earned rave reviews from his teammates during the early portion of training camp, and Chase Claypool believes the 21-year-old will be the best rookie wide receiver in the NFL, per PFF.
Pickens could have been selected in the first round if he had not had to deal with injuries at Georgia, but he did make an impact late in the Bulldogs' national championship season.
Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Treylon Burks and Jahan Dotson were all selected in the first round, and any one of them could break out right away and become the top rookie wideout.
Pickens is in a different situation since Diontae Johnson and Claypool are ahead of him on the depth chart.
The No. 52 overall pick could still have an impact as the No. 3 wide receiver, and his immediate playmaking skills could be a huge boost to the quarterback.
Austin is impressing a deep threat and could be the No. 4 player on the wide receiver depth chart. That may not seem like an impressive title, but it may earn the Memphis product plenty of early-season snaps.
If Pickens and Austin turn their strong early training camp performances into impressive game outings, they could give Pittsburgh one of the deeper wide receiver rooms in the AFC.
What Will Secondary Look Like to Start Season?
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Most of Pittsburgh's starting spots on defense are filled.
The ones remaining to be solidified come in the secondary in the non-Minkah Fitzpatrick positions.
Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon, Cameron Sutton and Arthur Maulet are battling for playing time at cornerback, and Damontae Kazee is getting more time at safety with Terrell Edmunds.
Edmunds is the presumed starter next to Fitzpatrick at safety, but Kazee's performance could push him closer to the starting job than many expected he would be.
The cornerback battle possesses two free-agent acquisitions in Wallace and Witherspoon, who have not been great in their recent stops. Sutton is the carryover from recent seasons, and Maulet is the outsider to the starting job.
Pittsburgh needs to find the right combination in the secondary because of all the talented wideouts it will face in the AFC North.
If the Steelers have the wrong players on the field, opponents could shade away from Fitzpatrick and take advantage of the weaker elements of the defense.
Of course, Pittsburgh can hope those weaknesses are covered up a bit in the first few weeks if T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and others get to the quarterback.
Corner is the Steelers' biggest defensive weakness right now, but if they get that settled in training camp, the defense could be relied on more to get the offense back on the field as quickly as possible in the regular season.
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