Steelers rookie QB Tanner Morgan recognizes not everyone will be the next Brock Purdy
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Tanner Morgan’s recently completed college career began long before anyone knew what covid was, and when Joe Biden was merely a former vice president largely out of the public spotlight.
But after 47 starts in the Big Ten over five college seasons, Morgan experienced quite a bit.
“There were a lot of highs,” Morgan said last week, “but there were a lot of lows, too.”
The same could apply — from the outside, at least — over only a few short days in regards to Morgan’s prospects for making an impact with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We lost track, but we think Tanner Morgan was 33-of-33 for about 1,000 yards and 20 TDs in these highlights. pic.twitter.com/p68vNdcxbe
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) July 15, 2020
An undrafted rookie, Morgan was one of only three quarterbacks on the roster after NFL’s unrestricted free agency period and the draft. In light of the fact the Steelers take four QBs to training camp and typically will carry three throughout the regular season, as recently as a few days ago, that contributed to a promising outlook for Morgan.
Then, word leaked Monday that the Steelers were bringing back Mason Rudolph. Three days later, general manager Omar Khan let it be known the club was signing Mitch Trubisky to an extension.
All of a sudden, what had been a rosy outlook for Morgan — after all, the Steelers did not even sign either of the two tryout quarterbacks from rookie minicamp — quickly deteriorated to a point in which he appears to be just trying to hold on to the QB4 spot.
For a player who enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 2017 and finished it this past Dec. 29 in the Pinstripe Bowl, Morgan has been through enough to take it all in stride.
“When you have experiences, you have to learn from them,” Morgan said after a rookie camp session last weekend, “the good and the bad, and have to be able to take those to the next opportunity, whatever that might be.”
For Morgan, that opportunity begins in earnest Tuesday with the start of organized team activities practices. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Morgan almost certainly cannot beat out Trubisky or Rudolph to earn a backup role to Kenny Pickett (who was a peer of his in the incoming 2017 college recruiting class).
But if Morgan can impress, he at least can make the Steelers feel comfortable enough that it might not compel them to bring in another veteran if one of their top three quarterbacks suffers an injury. Or, at worst, maybe Morgan plays well enough over the preseason that he catches the eye of another team.
“My mindset is to be an asset any way I can,” Morgan said, “be a positive contributor each and every day and do my best each and every day — and whatever happens, happens. But I think it’s a great quarterback room, and I am excited to be able to learn from those guys and learn from (position coach Mike Sullivan).”
Undrafted rookie Tanner Morgan on being QB3 at the moment pic.twitter.com/hKEJ4kvzAT
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 13, 2023
Morgan started 47 consecutive games for Minnesota from midway through the 2018 season until he suffered a concussion during a November game last year. Morgan won 33 of those games, amassing 9,454 passing yards, along with 65 passing and eight rushing touchdowns.
But Morgan’s career plateaued early, leading the Golden Gophers to an 11-win season in which they won a New Year’s Day bowl and finished No. 10 in the AP poll in 2019.
In part because of below-average arm strength, Morgan went undrafted.
After last year’s “Mr. Irrelevant,” Brock Purdy, led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC championship game by winning all eight of the games he played significantly in, expectations have been raised for what an unheralded rookie quarterback can do.
“It’s awesome to see what a guy like that did,” Morgan said, “(but) it’s obviously two completely different situations.
“I’m in an entirely different atmosphere, and it’s about getting better and maximizing each day. That’s all I can control and focus about. So that’s my attitude — to get better every day. It’s awesome what (Purdy) did, but I have to make sure that I know what to do on Play X, Y, Z.”
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