The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their first season in nearly two decades without Ben Roethlisberger on the roster. With the 2022 NFL season looming, the Steelers will be looking to make adjustments to the roster and depth chart ahead of the campaign, and that could result in some shakeups at key positions.
Just because a player was a starter last season doesn't guarantee them anything in 2022. Training camp competitions are crucial to building the best possible roster, and it's no different for the Steelers. There are a handful of position battles going on at Steelers camp, which could lead to some new faces breaking into the starting lineup.
After Mike Tomlin released his first depth chart of the 2022 season, fans were given a bit more insight into the position battles at training camp, and there could be some changes looming on both sides of the ball. With all that in mind, we're going to take a look at two first-stringers who run the risk of losing the starting role ahead of the 2022 season.
Steelers first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs in 2022
2. Devin Bush, ILB
The first few years of the Devin Bush era in Pittsburgh have been less than optimistic. Bush has struggled to find his footing in the NFL, despite being heralded as a future star when he was drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2019. Injuries limited him to five games in 2020, and when he returned in 2021, he was often criticized for his lack of production.
Heading into the final year of his rookie deal, Bush may be falling out of favor with the Steelers' coaching staff. The first depth chart indicates exactly that. While Bush is still listed as a starter at inside linebacker, he's sharing the role with Robert Spillane. Spillane has been a role player for the Steelers throughout the past few seasons but could be on the verge of taking over the starting role from Bush.
The two will continue to compete as training camp winds down, but given the lack of production the team has seen from Bush since entered the league a few years ago, it wouldn't be a major surprise if Spillane usurped him for the starting gig before Week 1. Spillane, 26, featured in 14 games for the Steelers in 2021, starting four.
The Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky with the intention of utilizing him as the starting quarterback while they looked to identify their next franchise QB. Well, there's a real chance they have just that in Kenny Pickett, and if he continues to impress at training camp, it wouldn't be a huge shock if he was able to de-throne the former No. 2 overall pick and enter the season as the starter.
It's not just Pickett who will be looking to get on the field, however. Trubisky is also facing competition from Mason Rudolph. Rudolph has started games in the past for the Steelers, replacing the then-injured Ben Roethlisberger, but didn't see much success. Still, he's familiar with the offense and could be called upon in relief of Trubisky if the team loses confidence in the former Bears starter.
The current depth chart still lists Trubisky as the starter, while Rudolph has been named his backup. Pickett is third in the pecking order, ahead of fourth-stringer Chris Oladokun.
With two guys on Trubisky's heels, the Steelers will have flexibility when it comes to quarterback. If he struggles out the gate, the Steelers have fallback options and may not hesitate to make some changes. It's likely that Trubisky will have a short leash when the season starts, so if he is mistake-prone early on, it could open the door for one of his competitors to make a splash.
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