The Pittsburgh Steelers released their first official depth chart of the season on Monday, and there was one particular section that surprised many people. Mike Tomlin says that portion of the chart was incorrect.
Mitchell Trubisky was listed as QB1 one on Pittsburgh’s first Week 1 depth chart. He was widely expected to win the starting quarterback job. What was more interesting is that Mason Rudolph — not Kenny Pickett — was shown as Trubisky’s backup. Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday that the rookie should have been No. 2 but there was a “clerical error.”
More specifically, Tomlin said someone with the Steelers accidentally copied the QB depth chart from the first preseason game.
Mike Tomlin says it was "clerical" error that caused the depth chart discrepancy on the QBs. The one listed yesterday was the one from the first preseason game of the season.
"the cut and paste component was the cut and paste component."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 6, 2022
Tomlin was then asked if he had to address the mistake with Rudolph and Pickett. He said both players already knew where they stood.
Mike Tomlin about the “clerical error” that had Kenny Pickett at No. 3 quarterback. pic.twitter.com/eLczkSmYww
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) September 6, 2022
Skeptics might say the Steelers intentionally listed Rudolph as Trubisky’s primary backup in an attempt to boost Rudolph’s trade value. Pittsburgh has reportedly been listening to offers for the former third-round pick. However, the team released an updated depth chart on Tuesday that showed Rudolph at No. 3. They probably would not have made the change if the plan was to boost Rudolph’s value, unless they had some sort of deal in the works that fell through.
In any event, Pickett will enter the season as No. 2 behind Trubisky. The former Pitt star’s arrow has been pointing up over the past several weeks.
