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Now is Best Time for Steelers to Make Change at QB

The Pittsburgh Steelers have no more time to waste before it's too late to make a quarterback change.

Noah Strackbein

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PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said it's a "definitive no" about making a change at quarterback this week, but after a long weekend, it might have sunk in that this is the best time to do so. 

The Steelers aren't winning football games with Mitch Trubisky behind center. Pittsburgh is 1-2 heading back home to host the New York Jets, has scored just four touchdowns through their offense in three weeks, and has watched their defense deteriorate due to overuse early in the season. 

Fans have already started calling for first-round pick Kenny Pickett to replace Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. That took all of a week and a half, and chances are the "Kenny" chants are only going to get louder in Week 4 at Acrisure Stadium. 

The Steelers don't want to rush Pickett onto the field, which is why the quarterback competition was never a real one to begin with. But if they want to save the season, and maybe save Pickett's early success, holding off on a move is the worst idea. 

Pittsburgh will stay home this weekend to host the Jets. From there, life becomes even more difficult than it's already been, heading to Buffalo, host Tampa Bay, traveling to Miami and then Philadelphia before the Bye Week. 

Getting a confidence boost with a win over the Jets is a must for a rookie quarterback. Especially if the Steelers are going to send Pickett into the toughest streak of their schedule two games into his NFL career. 

Which seems rough. But it's nowhere near as bad as waiting another week, realizing you must make a change at quarterback, and then telling Pickett to go win against the Bills, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Eagles for the first four games of his rookie season. 

Tomlin's "definitive no" could be a little less definitive come his Week 4 press conference. Even if the Steelers don't want to make a change at quarterback, they aren't willing to give up on the season. And the coaching staff is smart enough to understand now is a much better time to hand the job to Pickett than next week. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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