The projected recent departure of Mitch Trubisky has already caused some changes to the appearance of the quarterback’s locker in the Steelers. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reports that the team hopes to retain backup quarterback Mason Rudolph going ahead and anticipates that things won’t alter too much.
Rudolph’s potential departure is the product of free agency, not Trubisky’s. Rudolph, a 2018 third-round draft selection, has completed his rookie contract as well as two one-year extensions. In 2019, Rudolph made eight starts for the Steelers early in his career; but, in the four years after, he hasn’t seen as many starts.
Following the injury of regular starter Ben Roethlisberger in 2019, Rudolph guided Pittsburgh to five victories in eight starts. Rudolph was benched in favor of Devlin Hodges following a physical altercation on the field with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, during which Garrett accused him of using a racial epithet.
He wouldn’t start a game again until the final day of the 2020 season when the starters took a day off, then again in 2021 when Roethlisberger was replaced by COVID-19. He was demoted to third-string duty behind Trubisky and then-rookie Kenny Pickett, and he would sit out the whole 2022 season.
Rudolph played for the first time in four years this year. Rudolph eventually made it onto the field as the Steelers, who had one of the least effective offenses in the league, were nearing the end of their season. In Week 14, Trubisky was expected to start against the Colts due to Pickett’s injury. Because of Trubisky’s troubles, Rudolph filled in, and he started the following two games as the new No. 2 behind an injured Pickett. However, Pittsburgh chose to stick with Rudolph after Pickett was cleared to play in a crucial regular-season game against the Ravens.
The Steelers, led by Rudolph, defeated the primarily benched Ravens and advanced to the postseason. When the team went to Buffalo to play the Bills in a Wild Card game, Rudolph was again chosen to start.
After Rudolph’s late-season success, many people wondered why, given Pittsburgh’s offensive difficulties all season, the team hadn’t looked to him sooner. The Steeler’s management appears to have been divided by this similar opinion, according to Dulac, with some believing that Rudolph ought to start at quarterback come 2024. But the team’s objective seems to be to find a way to re-sign him to make that happen.
It is said by Dulac that the Steelers “are not interested in bringing in a quarterback who wants to be a starter,” with Rudolph and Pickett being the team’s top candidates. This eliminates Pittsburgh from consideration for quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, and Justin Fields, who appear to be available. It also probably eliminates a high-end rookie passer such as Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, or Caleb Williams. For the time being, the goal is to lock down Rudolph as well, but they may want to acquire some reliable, experienced backup depth at the position given that Pickett is currently under contract.
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