Mark Madden: Steelers' QB competition smokescreen overshadows plenty of roster concerns

Pay attention to the non-battle at quarterback if you like. But Mitch Trubisky will be the Steelers’ starting quarterback. There’s no “competition.”

Meantime, plenty of legit issues surround the Steelers as training camp opens. Their problems are great, and they are many.

• If the Steelers don’t get much improved play at inside linebacker, a defense paid to be great might not achieve mediocrity, or be better at stopping the run.

Myles Jack replaces Joe Schobert, a fellow Jacksonville escapee. Jack did OK during his days with the Jaguars. But the team totaled 15 wins over the last four seasons. Playing in Pittsburgh changes context and expectations.

Former first-round pick Devin Bush was putrid last year. Maybe his bum knee didn’t recover after surgery. Maybe he didn’t work hard enough to make that happen. Bush said he’s “the same player” and refused to single himself out for bad play last season, adding that “nobody on the Steelers is playing up to their potential.”

It’s a problem when you don’t realize there’s a problem. Bush might be a bust. (Can Brian Flores coach Bush up? That’s no easy initial task for Flores.)

If Jack and Bush don’t upgrade inside ‘backer, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will be shackled to making tackles like in 2021. He had an incredible 124. That’s too many. The Steelers need Fitzpatrick to roam and create takeaways. He was involved in just four last year. As opposed to six in 2020, 10 in 2019.

• Did the Steelers improve their offensive line, or just shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic?

Guard James Daniels is the real thing. He’s big at 6-foot-4, 327 pounds. He’s 24. He’s got Pro Bowl potential and leadership probability.

But otherwise, the offensive line looks, feels and smells the same. Tackles Chuks Okorafor and Dan Moore Jr. are mid at best, probably worse. New center Mason Cole is a journeyman ham-and-egger. Kevin Dotson and Kendrick Green are competing for the left guard slot. That’s an indictment of each for having to compete with the other.

Trubisky’s mobility and offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s presumably expanded game plan will protect the offensive line’s subpar nature to a small degree. But that subpar nature might get Trubisky hurt. He has twice Ben Roethlisberger’s mobility but half his guile. Running back Najee Harris could be in for another beating.

More from Mark Madden

• Comparing Kenny Pickett to Ben Roethlisberger is unfair but will constantly happen
• Steelers have a method with rookies, so expect Kenny Pickett to be 3rd string
• We will see if Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is as smart as he thinks he is

• Besides Fitzpatrick, the Steelers’ secondary poses questions.

It’s not impossible to be optimistic about Ahkello Witherspoon after he got three late-season starts and made three interceptions. Levi Wallace did OK starting 17 games in Buffalo. Cam Sutton enters his sixth season with the Steelers and still can’t get off the nickel and move outside. Is nickel just Sutton’s spot, or is he not improving?

The queries in the secondary stand a chance to be answered positively. They need to be. The pass rush is going to get sacks, but it’s easy to get those losses back (and more) if the secondary is rotten. (The first- and second-down sack is the most overrated play in football. The proliferation of passing makes regaining those yards a breeze.)

• The Steelers lack depth almost everywhere.

Who’s behind Harris at running back? Benny Snell football is a death sentence.

The receiving depth isn’t bad, but there’s no slot receiver. Going double-tight frequently with Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry seems a wise alternative. Or put Claypool in the slot. Freiermuth and Claypool could be two big targets in the middle of the field. That creates matchup problems for opponents.

If T.J. Watt gets injured seriously, the season is over. There are no decent backups at edge rusher. Alex Highsmith is average, and he starts.

If the first string is questionable at inside linebacker, in the secondary and on the offensive line, what’s that say about the backups? (Robert Spillane and Buddy Johnson are interesting alternatives at inside ‘backer if only because they play hard.)

This is the time of the year for optimism. But the Steelers are gratuitously flawed. Playing up the “competition” at quarterback is a smokescreen.