One of the first moves the Steelers made after the NFL Draft wrapped up was to add a quarterback who could end up being Kenny Pickett’s backup.
The Steelers pulled off a near-perfect draft in 2023, meeting their personnel needs while getting value picks early and late.
But one position they decided not to address was quarterback.
Obviously, the team is all-in on Kenny Pickett as the starter for now and the future, but things are less certain in terms of backups considering Mitchell Trubisky is the only other quarterback on the roster.
So instead of drafting a backup, Pittsburgh just added one as an undrafted free agent.
Steelers sign UDFA Tanner Morgan as Kenny Pickett backup
According to Tom Pelissero, the Steelers signed Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan once the draft finished up.
Morgan wasn’t good enough to get drafted but his performance at Minnesota suggests he may have something to his game, possibly good enough to be a long-term backup for Pickett.
As a sophomore in 2019, he threw for 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns, both were school records. He led the team to an impressive 11-2 record and would go on to become the winningest quarterback in program history.
Unfortunately for the Golden Gophers, he wasn’t able to reproduce those numbers over his last three seasons. He had 26 touchdowns to 19 interceptions from 2020 to 2022. In nine games last year he threw for 1,382 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions.
The first step for Morgan is making the roster, but it’s not like the Steelers are overflowing with quarterbacks. Pickett sits atop the depth chart with only Trubisky behind him. Pittsburgh could still add a veteran in free agency to fill out their QB options though. So it’s on Morgan to impress.
