CTRL + V is apparently the Week 1 opponent of the Steelers.
Most expected Pittsburgh first-round pick Kenny Pickett to start the 2022 NFL season on the bench, but eyebrows were raised when the team’s first official depth chart of the year revealed that Pickett sat behind both Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.
As it turns out, there was a simple reason for Pickett landing behind Rudolph as the team’s QB3, according to Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin: Someone messed up the cut-and-paste of the chart.
Coach Tomlin addresses the media ahead of our Week 1 game against the Bengals. @PNCBank
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 6, 2022
It was a clerical error, y’know? That’s how our depth chart was listed at the start of training camp, so the cut-and-paste component was the cut-and-paste component. I know you were hoping for a little more colorful explanation, but it is what it is. That’s what happened.
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Tomlin would further explain that everyone in the QB room understood what went wrong, and there were no hard feelings for anyone involved.
Pickett, by all reported measures, had a better camp than Rudolph, and his draft slot would indicate that he would see the field before the veteran backup. Tomlin would praise Pickett and his his growth throughout camp as the reason he ultimately landed at No. 2 behind Trubisky.
The Steelers coach would also explain why he chose Trubisky ahead of the other two passers, citing his experience, winning record and ability to carry the “franchise quarterback” mantle.
Interestingly enough, there were no other issues with players being incorrectly listed on the Steelers’ first depth chart of the season.
That’s one selective cut-and-paste job.