QB Chris Oladokun believes he belongs on Steelers roster

Even though practically every leak about the subject indicates that free-agent pickup Mitchell Trubisky will enter September as starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers over first-round draft selection Kenny Pickett and backup Mason Rudolph, plenty of Pittsburgh fans will inevitably use the bulk of the summer months to debate why Pickett should or shouldn't sit as a rookie. 

It's easy to forget Pickett isn't the only first-year pro among Steelers signal-callers.

By the time most casual fans stopped watching, Pittsburgh used a seventh-round pick in this spring's draft to acquire Chris Oladokun out of South Dakota State. Pickett remarked during Tuesday's edition of "The Pat McAfee Show" that he and Oladokun have "been kind of attached at the hip" in the early stages of their pro careers. While Pickett knows he'll have a home on the Pittsburgh roster this fall, Oladokun made it clear he's not merely accepting a spot on the practice squad. 

"Something that I do strongly believe is that I do belong here," Oladokun explained, per Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

"Obviously, we have a very competitive quarterback room," Oladokun added during his comments. "I look to embrace my role in any capacity, whatever that is, whether I am the first one taking snaps or the last guy on the totem pole.

"However I can make not only the (position) room better but the (whole) team, that’s what I look to do. I’m embracing that role. It’s something that’s going to be important for me heading into this year. You are just personally developing: on the field, off the field and giving yourself the best chance to make the '53.'"

Multiple knowledgeable individuals have suggested Pittsburgh should look to trade Rudolph during or after the preseason so Pickett can spend as much time as possible as Trubisky's primary backup. Such a transaction ideally would create a roster spot for Oladokun.