Steelers' 'real competition' at QB is between Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett for backup job?

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward seemed to confirm what's been repeated since early spring when he essentially named free-agent signing Mitchell Trubisky as the favorite to be the club's starting quarterback for Week 1 over career backup Mason Rudolph and first-round draft selection Kenny Pickett last week. A subsequent story then said that Trubisky would "have to be outplayed by a considerable margin" during training camp and the preseason to lose the job before September, barring an injury. 

Multiple Steelers insiders have suggested that Pittsburgh should and even will look to trade Rudolph later this summer, especially if a different team loses a signal-caller to a physical setback before the regular season. For a piece published on Monday, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports explained how the franchise's "real competition" at the sport's most important position is for the backup gig. 

"Rudolph has the most experience within Pittsburgh's offense, but his lack of consistency when called into action has contributed to him being in this position," DeArdo wrote about the team's No. 2 option. "Trubisky and Pickett (who spent the majority of minicamp working with Pittsburgh's third-string offense) will be on the 53-man roster. That leaves one spot for either Rudolph or seventh-round pick Chris Oladokun, a versatile player who played at three different schools in college. If Oladokun shows promise, Rudolph's spot on the roster could be in jeopardy." 

Similar to others, DeArdo noted that "it's extremely unlikely" Pickett will ultimately unseat Trubisky atop the depth chart anytime soon. That could make the first-year pro an inactive spectator for at least a portion of the season if head coach Mike Tomlin determines he wants to hold onto Rudolph as a potential fill-in.