Mike Tomlin doesn't have a quarterback debate on his hands — not yet. But he might in another week, and it all depends on the player who was abruptly benched two weeks ago after a halftime locker room incident.
With so much attention being focused on concussion protocol since the injury sustained by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Steelers might exercise caution and not play Kenny Pickett on Sunday night in Miami — especially with a prime-time national audience scrutinizing their decision during Tagovailoa's return.
That means Mitch Trubisky, who had his best showing in a Steelers uniform when he replaced Pickett in the third quarter of the 20-18 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, would start against the Dolphins (3-3). It also means Mason Rudolph, who has been inactive for the first six games of the season, would be the backup quarterback.
If Trubisky plays against the Dolphins as he did against Tampa Bay — he was 9 of 12 for 144 yards, converted 5 of 7 third-down opportunities and ran out the final 4:38 to cement the victory — Tomlin will be faced with a decision:
Does he go back to his original plan of using Trubisky, who started the first four games of the season? Or does he stick with Pickett, who was thrown into the game at halftime of the Oct. 2 loss to the New York Jets?
Trubisky was benched against the Jets following a locker room confrontation at halftime with receiver Diontae Johnson, multiple sources have told the Post-Gazette. According to sources, Johnson began yelling at Trubisky to throw him the ball more, even though Johnson had a pass skip off his hands that resulted in an interception and failed to get his feet inbounds on what would have been a 23-yard touchdown in the first half. Trubisky stood up to Johnson and a heated exchange occurred. That's when Pickett was told he would start the second half.
If Trubisky wanted to prove Tomlin made a mistake for benching him against the Jets, he certainly made his point with the way he played against the Buccaneers, especially in the final minutes.
His two completions on the final drive to Chase Claypool — a 17-yarder on 3rd-and-15 and a 26-yarder on 3rd-and-11 — kept the ball away from Tom Brady and allowed the Steelers to run out the clock.
"It feels good to win just as a team, to show my teammates what I'm capable of," Trubisky said. "But I think the best part is just seeing their joy and excitement after a hard-fought victory like that. We've had some up-and-downs the last couple weeks, but to have that feeling, that's what you chase every single week."
Tagovailoa is expected to return against the Steelers after sustaining a second concussion in a four-day period that prompted an investigation by the league and NFL Players Association into the handling of his care. The independent neurologist who allowed Tagovailoa to return to the game when he suffered his first concussion against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 25 was fired by the league.
On Oct. 8, the league and players union agreed to change the protocol for concussion injuries, making it more difficult for players who appear to have sustained some form of head injury to return to a game. Meantime, teams have appeared to be more cautious about allowing players to return even the following week, including the Steelers.
The Steelers have had three players sustain concussions since Tagovailoa's injuries, and all three — Terrell Edmunds, Levi Wallace and Pat Freiermuth — did not play the following week.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was placed in concussion protocol after he played every snap in a Thursday night loss in Cleveland on Sept 22. He was cleared to return to practice the following week and played on Sunday, but that was before everything happened with Tagovailoa.
Depending who plays and what happens Sunday night in Miami, Tomlin might have a quarterback debate on his hands. And it just might result in going back to his original plan of using Trubisky.
"He's been professional and class at every step of the way," Tomlin said. "Not only him, but Mason Rudolph was engaged and has got good ideas. We are a collective team and I just appreciate the unselfishness of all of those guys throughout this process. That's why I repeatedly bring it up."
It will likely come up again.
