If the past few years have taught him anything, it’s that there may be a chance for Tanner Morgan.
The undrafted free agent quarterback for the Steelers is going through rookie minicamp this weekend with the hopes to latch onto the roster.
“It's been awesome,” said Morgan, who spent six years at Minnesota. “I mean, it's a great group of guys, and it's really awesome to be out here, be a part of this great organization, and get coached up. It's been a really exciting experience.”
Morgan played five seasons at Minnesota, passing for 9,454 yards and 65 touchdowns.
“He’s a guy that’s played a lot,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s a sixth-year guy. He’s got some leadership and tangible qualities. He’s been highly productive in that program. His resume is pretty extensive for a guy in that position.”
Morgan hopes all that time in college, much like Steelers starter Kenny Pickett, boosts his comfort level as a young player in the NFL.
“I think when you have experiences, you have to learn from them,” he said. “You learn from your experiences, the good and the bad. And be able to take those to the next opportunity, whatever that may be.
“But it’s an entire different league, entire different system, so you have to be able to learn and adapt as well.”
The opportunity for Morgan is, at least at the moment, present. The Steelers have two quarterbacks on the projected roster, Pickett and backup Mitch Trubiksy. Mason Rudolph didn’t re-sign, so the third position is up for grabs.
“My mindset is just to be an asset any way that I can be a positive contributor each and every day and do my best every day, and whatever happens, happens, he said. “But I think it's a great quarterback room, and I'm excited to be able to learn from those guys and learn from (Quarterback Coach Mike Sullivan) as well.”
Both Pickett and Trubisky reached out to Morgan when he signed with the team a few days ago, he said.
There are some similarities between Morgan and Pickett. Both have played plenty of college football, with Morgan owning several Minnesota passing records. Both had relatively average years from a production standpoint. But both also had massive single seasons, with Pickett’s coming in 2021 and Morgan’s coming two years prior, when he passed for 30 touchdowns.
“In college, especially the last two years, I didn't have a ton of classes,” he said. “You got to study more. It increases everything you need to do, but you’ve just got to continue to put in the work to get the results you want to see.
“There was a lot of highs. There was a lot of lows, too. So it was being able to learn from those and understand how to keep fighting and get better through the bad moments and through the hot moments as well.”
The Steelers have two other quarterbacks in rookie minicamp, with former Virginia passer Bryce Perkins and ex-Clemson quarterback Hunter Johnson also in attendance.
But Morgan is the guy with the best shot at being the third quarterback. And that could come in handy.
The Steelers, as recently as last year, have come close to having to use their third string quarterback. They did, in fact, in 2019, when Devlin Hodges came in following injuries.
Brock Purdy ended up starting meaningful games last year in San Francisco after falling to the last pick of the NFL Draft.
So the possibility is always there, no matter who is ahead of yo son the depth chart. And Morgan wants to apply his skillset now in an attempt to make Pittsburgh his home.
“For me, it’s just being a point guard, a contributor,” he said. Get the ball out to the guys who can go make really exciting plays, and just being smart with the football. Taking care of the ball is a huge asset.”