The Pittsburgh Steelers faced an old friend during their preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Mitch Trubisky. The former first-round draft pick, who is entering his eighth season in the league, returned to Buffalo after the Steelers released him after the 2023 season.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin agreed to host joint practices at Acrisure Stadium with the Bills during the week before their matchup. During those practices, Trubisky struggled , which isn't surprising. At one point, he even overthrew his receiver, and the ball was caught by George Pickens on the sideline, who hilariously shouted, "He still wants to throw it to me!"
Trubisky was often praised for being a "good guy" while in the Steel City. He was even named a team captain. Trubisky was looked up to and respected by his teammates, regardless of his spot on the depth chart. That's why his former teammates were unhappy about how fans welcomed Trubisky back to Pittsburgh during their preseason game.
Recently, Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz shared with teammate, tight end Pat Freiermuth during his podcast, The Christian Kuntz Podcast, that he was angered by the disrespect fans showed Trubisky.
"First of all, Mitch is a good friend, like of all of ours," said an aggravated Kuntz. "Everyone in the locker room loved Mitch. For them to boo him, like why were they booing him? Because he didn't perform well here? They thought he didn't perform well? It just infuriates me just because he's a dude, a guy that doesn't deserve that. Like what, we boo you when you move jobs?"
Trubisky was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears and stayed with the team for four seasons, but was never able to maintain consistent success. His best season was his second year, during which he got a Pro Bowl nod for helping the Bears win their first division title since 2010. Whether the Bears didn't develop him properly or if Trubisky hit his ceiling sooner than expected, they let him go in 2021.
After leaving Chicago, he went to the Bills and backed up Josh Allen before getting the opportunity to come to Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger had just retired, and the Steelers were looking at every option. Shortly after that, they drafted Kenny Pickett and decided to allow the rookie to develop behind the veteran.
Unfortunately, Trubisky's old Chicago behaviors resurfaced, and his performance was inconsistent. After an initial win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Trubisky and the Steelers lost the next three games he started. Ultimately, his underwhelming play led Tomlin to bench him and put Pickett in his place.
During his two seasons in Pittsburgh, he played in 12 games, starting seven of them, with a record of 2-5-0. He threw 184 passes for 1,884 yards, eight touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The Steelers chose to release him, and the Bills brought him back as a backup. During the preseason game, Trubisky made nine of 13 attempted passes for 86 yards, with one interception.
Steelers Once Again Have An Inconsistent Former Bears Quarterback
Justin Fields, who also started his career in Chicago, has gotten more first-team reps than were expected as likely starter Russell Wilson nursed a calf strain. Now, the ultra-athletic quarterback has become a hot topic in Pittsburgh.
The team is mired in an unexpected quarterback controversy with only one preseason game left. Neither Wilson nor Fields has done enough to make anyone feel 100% comfortable with their performance, and both have supporters.
Tomlin will have to decide whether he leans on Wilson's success in the league, or if he looks to foster Fields' incredible raw talent. He has one more preseason game to discover the answers.
