Tajh Boyd trying to land with Steelers

With 11 NFL seasons, two Super Bowl rings, and 4,954 regular-season passes, Ben Roethlisberger has earned some time off.

Good thing, too, because the Steelers want an opportunity to look at his backups.

After taking most of the team drills off the previous two days, Roethlisberger was a more regular participant in 11-on-11 drills Saturday. Still, the coaches continued to give Landry Jones the bulk of the work. Tyler Murphy was next in line and had more reps than Tajh Boyd.

“It’s something to look forward to for sure,” Jones said of extra reps earlier in the week. “You want to take advantage of your opportunities.”

Even though Roethlisberger has remained relatively healthy over the second half of his career – he has missed five starts because of injury the past seven seasons – the team always operates one play away from having a replacement take over.

Even if Gradkowski’s shoulder ailment abates in time for the regular season – he will miss at least the first two weeks of camp – the Steelers’ depth chart behind him is muddled:

• Jones, a former fourth-round pick entering his third season, has yet to distinguish himself.
• Boyd was a college star but failed to make the Jets as a sixth-round pick last season.
• Murphy and Devin Gardner are rookies who (mostly) played quarterback in college but have been taking reps at receiver with the Steelers. Defying a league trend, the Steelers have kept three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

There are many variables, including Gradkowski’s health, or if either Gardner or Murphy proves versatile enough at receiver and on special teams to take a roster spot. But it’s possible the Steelers buck their trend and keep two quarterbacks.

“There’s so many scenarios that could happen, I try to not even think about it,” Murphy said. “It could be overwhelming at times. I try to just make the best of today, and tomorrow will come.”

Jones was given a long look during practice Thursday.

“I thought he did some things with the extra snaps we gave him,” Tomlin said. “When you give a guy an extra snap or two, you’d like to see him take advantage of it with execution, and I thought he did that.”

So far at St. Vincent, Murphy has exclusively stayed at quarterback and Gardner at receiver. Both players said Thursday that they haven’t been told when (or if) that will change.

The coaching staff, of course, has had some looks at Boyd, too.

“Ultimately, it’s going to be how you perform in games,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “But especially at quarterback, it’s a full-time evaluation – how they handle the daily pressure, handle the huddle, all those things that you’ve got to do well to succeed or have a chance to succeed.”