Who is Kenny Pickett's backup? Steelers depth chart explored amid injury to QB

In the second quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 13 game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a leg injury. Mitchell Trubisky, the backup, took over.

After seven years in the NFL, the 29-year-old Trubisky has played for the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Steelers. In 2018, while he was with the Bears, he was selected to the Pro Bowl.

The quarterback has appeared nine times, starting five times, since he joined the Steelers ahead of the 2022 season. He has a 2-3 record as a starter, with 135 completions, 63.7 completion percentage, 1,408 yards, five scores, and seven interceptions.

As a college player at North Carolina, Mitch Trubisky played 32 games with 4,762 yards of passing, 41 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He scored eight touchdowns and gained 439 yards through rushes as well. In the 2017 NFL Draft, he was chosen by the Chicago Bears as the second overall pick.

In his second season in the NFL, Trubisky guided Chicago to its first divisional title in eight years and was named to the Pro Bowl. It was his most successful season to date.

After his rookie contract expired in 2021, he was not offered a renewal by the Bears because of his inconsistent performances. He played one season as Josh Allen's backup for the Buffalo Bills in 2021. The next season, he signed with the Steelers, splitting time as the starting quarterback and backup.

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When will Kenny Pickett return?

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Kenny Pickett is expected to be sidelined for a significant amount of time following an ankle injury sustained during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 24-10 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

With the score tied at three points apiece in the second quarter, the quarterback departed the game after being hit during a rushing play. He did not return after hurting his ankle, even though he later left the field unassisted after being examined by the team's medical personnel.

After the Week 12 win (16–10) over the Cincinnati Bengals, in which Pickett completed 24 of 33 passes for 278 yards — possibly his most significant performance of the season — he began to have ankle pain.

While Kenny Pickett is down, Pittsburgh's starting quarterback will remain Mitch Trubisky's go-to man. The 29-year-old backup quarterback, who took Pickett's position in Week 13, completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards and a score after coming on.