The Pittsburgh Steelers begin the post-Ben Roethlisberger era with another Ohio native.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Monday that the Steelers agreed to a two-year deal with quarterback Michelle Trubisky, according to sources not familiar with the deal.
2 overall pick Mason Rudolph and former first round pick Dwayne Haskins are expected to be starters.
Trubisky spent his first four seasons in Chicago, making the Pro Bowl in his second season, but struggled with the stretch and fell out of favor with Bears fans. He spent 2021 restoring his image in Buffalo, but hardly saw the area as Josh Allen's backup (eight pass attempts).
In his last season as a starter, Trubisky completed 67% of his passes for 205.5 pass yards, 16 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 93.5 passer rating - nine starts in 2020.
After shining potential early in his career, Trubisky struggled strongly with his accuracy and never developed into a pocket passer. From footwork to the reading defense, Trubisky needed a change in his fundamentals after his time in Chicago.
What he does well is connect on short, safe throws. Trubisky's 114.4 passer rating on passes less than 10 air yards in 2020 led the NFL among QBs with at least 150 such attempts, which may well fit into Matt Canada's plan.
The Steelers believe there remains dormant talent in the former first-round pick, which puts mobility coach Mike Tomlin in the desired position. That dynamism and bootleg ability should help open the offense in 2022.
After Rudolph proved he was nothing more than a backup at this point, the Steelers began by adding more upside to the quarterback. Of course, signing Trubisky to a two-year contract does nothing to stop the Steelers from drafting a rookie high, perhaps someone like Malik Willis who might need time to develop.