How former Steelers QBs did in their debuts
As Pittsburgh got its first look at Justin Fields in a Steelers uniform Friday night, local fans also saw some very familiar faces at quarterback with their new teams over the weekend.
Kenny Pickett made his preseason debut with the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night. Meanwhile, ex-Steelers Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs were on the same field but on different sidelines Saturday.
Pickett was the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles during their 16-13 Friday night preseason win over the Baltimore Ravens. His surface numbers looked pretty decent.
The former Steeler was 14 of 22 for 89 yards, a touchdown (to running back Will Shipley) and no interceptions as he started in place of No. 1 QB Jalen Hurts.
But a deeper look at Pickett’s numbers will probably seem shockingly familiar.
The third-year product out of Pitt averaged 4 yards per attempt on the night. He was also sacked twice.
“We were moving the ball nicely when Kenny was in,” head coach Nick Sirianni said via Delaware Online. “It was not his fault that there were a couple of penalties that stalled drives that weren’t necessarily him.”
Third-stringer Tanner McKee was 6 of 16 for 39 yards with no touchdowns, interceptions or sacks later in the game.
As for Dobbs and Rudolph, they were in the same quarterback room as Steelers teammates in 2018-19 and again in 2020-21. On Saturday in Nashville, they played against each other with their new franchises.
Tennessee won the game 17-13. Dobbs came off the bench in the preseason opener for the San Francisco 49ers against Rudolph and the Titans.
Rudolph relieved starter Will Levis, who led two touchdown drives. Immediately, Rudolph led a 17-play march that died short of the goal line.
Rudolph was pulled after going 10 of 17 for 126 yards with no touchdowns, interceptions or sacks. He was charged with a lost fumble, though.
“I think the timing has been good,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said postgame. “I was intentional about trying to keep the quarterbacks out of harm’s way, to some degree. So, the ball was coming out pretty quick. And some of those play-action passes were really efficient for us. They popped open.”
As for Dobbs, he was 14 of 20 for 146 yards, an interception and a rushing touchdown.
“Josh came in and gave us a chance to win. He came in and made some really good throws at the end. We just came up a little bit short,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Dobbs after the game.
Brandon Allen had the start for San Francisco and was 7 of 13 for 98 yards.
