Tomlin, Steelers sticking with Pickett against Bills

“I thought he provided a spark for us,” Tomlin said of Pickett. “I thought we moved it more fluidly. I thought we put some points on the board. Obviously, it wasn’t a perfect half. We turned the ball over some. You can’t do that. He’s a young guy. He’s going to grow throughout this process. But make no mistake about it, we’re not grading him on a curve. He’s not grading himself on a curve. There’s an expectation of quality play and playing to win.”

Tomlin feels at ease with the transition to Pickett given how he’s handled things to this point.

Pickett started the team’s offseason program third on the depth chart behind Trubisky and long-term backup Mason Rudolph, but moved past Rudolph in the preseason. This is the next step in the 24-year-old rookie’s career path.

“Kenny has shown us maturity at every point throughout this process,” Tomlin said. “He’s older than most rookies. That was obviously discussed leading up to the draft process. There are things that we valued about him during the draft process, fluid and quick decision making, pro-like anticipation have proven to be true. That’s why we took him when we were given the opportunity to do so.

“Since then, he’s done nothing but fortify that thought process and make some plays during team development and during the preseason. He’s continually gotten better since the season started. Those of us who are here from day to day from a practice standpoint see the progress and, equally as important, see his mature and professional approach to readiness.”

Trubisky was signed to a two-year contract in the offseason prior to the selection of Pickett in the draft and was named the team’s starting quarterback coming out of training camp. He had completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 653 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while also rushing for a score in his first four starts.

Trubisky took the news he would no longer be the team’s starting quarterback hard, according to Tomlin, but that was to be expected.

“He’s a competitor. He’s a professional. He’s a hard and diligent worker,” Tomlin said. “He wants to be a positive contributor to our efforts and the reason why we’re successful. The change doesn’t afford him the opportunity to do those things. So, it’s something to absorb. We respect it, the same way we respect some of the things Mason Rudolph has gone through in this process, where he used to be a backup and he’s No. 3 to this point.

“Whenever you’re working as a collective, oftentimes there are setbacks for individuals within the collective as you pursue what we all need. Being a part of a team, we all understand that. At the same time, you don’t want to discount it or be insensitive because we’re in it. We’re sensitive to the situation Mitch is in.”

But, the expectation is that Trubisky will be available to Pickett to help him throughout the process of now being a starter. Trubisky will still serve as a team captain – a position he was voted to by his teammates earlier this season – and will serve as the workforce’s No. 2 quarterback.