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After Aaron Rodgers Injury, Steelers Try Out Two Quarterbacks
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- After Aaron Rodgers Injury, Steelers Try Out Two Quarterbacks
Tanner Moredcai, Wisconsin Athletics
With starter Aaron Rodgers dealing with a left wrist injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers tried out two quarterbacks on Tuesday, according to the NFL transactions report . The Steelers hosted Tanner Mordecai and Jason Bean for tryouts at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Moredcai, 26, is in his second professional season. He joined the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL Draft, and spent last season on the San Francisco practice squad. This year, he re-signed with the 49ers, but was released on Aug. 25.
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In two games with the 49ers this preseason, Mordecai completed 13 of 19 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked once and rushed for 27 yards on four carries.
Last year as a rookie, he also appeared in two preseason games and was 6 of 10 for 103 yards with one sack and -2 yards on four carries.
The 6-foot-1 1/2, 210-pound Moredcai has solid athleticism, posting a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, 4.23-second short shuttle and 7-second three-cone drill in pre-draft testing for a 9.20 Relative Athletic Score out of 10.
A four-star recruit coming out of Midway High School in Waco, Texas, Moredcai had a long and winding collegiate joinery. He committed to Oklahoma, where he backed up Kyler Murray , Jalen Hurts and Spencer Rattler over three seasons before transferring to SMU.
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With the Mustangs, Moredcai had a breakout season in2 021, passing for an AAC-leading 3,628 yards and 39 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. He returned to SMU for a second season in 2022, again passing for over 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns.
In 2023, he transferred to Wisconsin, where he was unable to replicate that success. In 10 games with the Badgers, he threw for 2,066 yards, nine touchdown and four interceptions.
Jason Bean, Kansas Athletics
Bean, 26, is also a second-year pro. He joined the Indianapolis Colts after going undrafted in 2024 and spent his rookie season on the practice. He re-signed with Indy for 2025, but was released in August.
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In two preseason games this summer, he completed 14 of 24 passes for 144 yards, one touchdown, one interception and was sacked twice. He also ran six times for 28 yards. As a rookie in 2024, he appeared in three preseason games, completing 15 of 19 passes for 197 yards, one touchdown, one interception and two sacks, and rushing 11 times for 53 yards.
The 6-foot-1 3/4, 196-pound Bean posted solid athletic testing numbers coming out of Kansas in 2024, with a 4.55-second 40-yard dash, 4.45-second short shuttle and 7.07-second three-cone drill for a 7.41 Relative Athletic Score out of 10.
A Mansfield, Texas native, Bean committed to North Texas coming out of Lake Ridge High School and spent his first three seasons with the Mean Green, but did not become a regular until 2020.
He entered the transfer portal at the end of that season and moved to Kansas, where he played 35 games and started 23 games over his three-year stint, but never found much statistical success until his sixth collegiate season, when he threw for 2,130 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions in nine games in 2023.
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The Steelers practiced with just two quarterbacks on Wednesday while Rodgers missed practice with a fractured left wrist. He returned to practice on Thursday . Behind Rodgers, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph and Will Howard on the active roster, and Skyler Thompson remains on the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury.
RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Details Recovery Plan to Play vs. Bears
The Steelers also signed quarterback-turned-wide receiver John Rhys Plumlee to the practice squad this week. Plumlee has been serving as the scout team quarterback.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : After Aaron Rodgers Injury, Steelers Try Out Two Quarterbacks
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