OC Matt Canada: Steelers want starting QB who 'does special intangible things'

Following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger this past winter, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves hosting a legitimate quarterback competition. 

Former Chicago Bears starter and Buffalo Bills backup Mitchell Trubisky is likely the favorite to win the job at this stage of the process ahead of career backup Mason Rudolph and first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett, and Trubisky declared on Wednesday he's "preparing to be" Pittsburgh's QB1, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. 

Pickett, meanwhile, served as Pittsburgh's third-string signal-caller this spring. According to Noah Strackbein of Sports Illustrated's All Steelers, offensive coordinator Matt Canada confirmed that head coach Mike Tomlin currently has Trubisky atop the depth chart with Rudolph at No. 2 and Pickett staying at three. Canada added, though, the process will "evolve" as necessary until the top option emerges either before or during the preseason. 

"For us, you want to find the best guy," Canada explained. "However, what makes him the best? Does he take care of the ball, is it plays in the red zone, how he leads the team, and all those things? That’s a coach Tomlin decision. We are making that decision every day. Right now, that plan is so clear. We’re putting in our offense and lots of our offense. We are going to try to find who does special intangible things. Through all of that, we’ll find our guy."

For what it's worth, Trubisky insisted on Wednesday he hasn't "won" anything quite yet. 

"Like you said, I wouldn’t read too much into [taking first-team snaps]," Trubisky said at that time. "I’m getting a lot of good reps. I feel really comfortable in the offense. So I like where we’re at right now. I feel very confident."