Bengals to face Trubisky in season opener

Roethlisberger retired in January, and Trubisky, the former Bears and Bills quarterback, was tapped as his replacement over first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett and fourth-year backup Mason Rudolph.

“He did a great job for a long time,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Roethlisberger. “It’s strange for me to say that because I remember being in college when he was in college. He’s a little older than me, not that much. But he was certainly a big part of what they did for a long time. They have a guy who has been in their system (Rudolph) and been in that quarterback room for a long time. They added a guy who has been to a Pro Bowl and been successful (Trubisky) and they added a first-round pick they’ve seen play up close in person for a long time.”

Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick by the Bears in the 2017 draft and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018, but he struggled with consistency and after his rookie contract expired in 2020, he signed a one-year deal with Buffalo. There he served as Josh Allen’s backup, an opportunity he reportedly accepted with hopes he could learn under the coaches that developed Allen into an MVP candidate.

He’s on a two-year contract with Pittsburgh and enters the season with a 29-21 record as a starter. Pickett likely will get his chances to develop and eventually play, but Trubisky has the edge for now with his experience.

“I’m sure it’s a big transition for them, especially moving from a Hall of Fame quarterback to a question mark at the quarterback system,” Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton said.

The quarterback spot isn’t the only question mark. Pittsburgh’s offensive line has been known as its biggest weakness, and that also might have factored into the decision to go with Trubisky.

Pittsburgh returned three starters from last year -- left tackle Dan Moore Jr., left guard Kevin Dotson and right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor --, and brought in center Mason Cole and right guard James Daniels in free agency. The group struggled throughout the preseason, though, and the Steelers could need Joe Burrow-like performances out of Trubisky to overcome offensive-line issues.

The Steelers do have a talented running back in Najee Harris, but not a lot of depth behind him, and in the receiver room rookie George Pickens will need to develop quickly to help strengthen the passing game.

As questionable as the offense appears, Pittsburgh still has a defense loaded with talent at all three levels. NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt produced 22.5 sacks last year while playing alongside the likes of Cam Heyward, and former Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi looks to pick up where he left off after a solid 2021 season in Cincinnati ended with an unfortunate injury in the first round of the playoffs.

In the back end, Minkah Fitzpatrick leads the way as the NFL’s highest paid safety.

“Minkah’s a great player,” Taylor said. “He’s done a great job taking the ball away immediately when he got to Pittsburgh. That’s been his M.O. You can tell he’s got tremendous leaderships qualities and they’re able to do a lot of different things with him. Will that change this year? Who knows, we’ll find out. But he’s certainly a big piece of their defense, a guy that’s been there now for a number of years. They’ve got a couple of other guys that have been there a number of years, so they’re keeping players in there that know what their culture is about. They play at a high level, they’ve been part of a lot of successful teams and I’m sure that filters around to the rest of those guys.”

Pittsburgh went 9-7-1 and finished second in the AFC North last year, after getting swept by the Bengals for their only two division losses. The Steelers lost to the Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs. Tomlin, entering his 16th season, has never had a losing season.

SUNDAY’S GAME

Steelers at Bengals, 1 p.m., Ch. 7, 12; 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7