Remember Mason Rudolph doing his thing with James Washington and Oklahoma State more than a half-decade ago? It really does seem like eons has passed since then.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected the quarterback in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the hopes tht he could end up morphing into an heir-apparent to then-franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
It never really came to fruition with the signal caller starting all of 10 games in his first four seasons with Pittsburgh. He was nothing to write home about during that span.
- Mason Rudolph stats (2019-22): 62% completion, 2,366 yards, 16 TD, 11 INT
At least through his first three seasons, Rudolph did nothing to show that he could be the guy in Pittsburgh. That led to the team selecting Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
An argument could be made that former Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert — despite his overall brilliance in that role — kicked the quarterback issue down the road.
Fast forward to the 2023 season, and this was magnified for Mike Tomlin’s squad. Prior to going down with injury, Pickett did not show anything that proved himself worthy of QB1 status in Pittsburgh. The former Pitt star threw just six touchdowns in 12 starts. That’s hard to do in today’s NFL. It’s pretty damn impressive.
Once Pickett went down to injury, the Steelers opted to turn to Mitchell Trubisky. The former first-round bust of the Chicago Bears also proved he was not the answer. He was ultimately benched in favor of Rudolph who re-signed this past offseason on a mere one-year, $1.1 million contract.
There was no real expectation that Rudolph could do his thing to lead the talent-stricken Steelers to the playoffs. He completely changed that narrative.
Mason Rudolph stats (2023): 74% completion, 719 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Rudolph led the Steelers to wins in all three of his starts to end the regular season. His 290-yard, two-touchdown performance in his starting debut as Pittsburgh beat the Cincinnati Bengals 34-11 in Week 16 turned this narrative on its head.
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Will Mason Rudolph be the Steelers starting QB in 2024?
Despite losing to the Buffalo Bills in the NFL Wild Card Playoffs on Monday, Rudolph has at least put himself in the conversation to be the Steelers’ QB1 in 2024.
He completed 22-of-39 passes for 229 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. However, it was the veteran’s ability to make this a game after falling down 21-0 in Buffalo that tells us a story.
He had Pittsburgh’s offense looking something similar to an actual unit that’s capable to succeed in today’s NFL That’s a far cry from the Matt Canada-led offense that averaged less than 16 points per game before the offensive coordinator was fired.
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Pittsburgh can’t afford to spend another first-round pick on a quarterback. The options are limited in NFL free agency. Is Russell Wilson an option? Is Kirk Cousins leaving the Minnesota Vikings? Jimmy Garoppolo is not the answer. Jameis Winston and Carson Wentz are not the answers.
Sure, the likes of Mac Jones and Justin Fields could be available on the trade block. But do we really believe that they are QB1 material?
The Steelers will address their quarterback situation in the offseason. But Mason Rudolph certainly belongs in the equation to be QB1. He proved that in four starts after being a mere afterthought as the Steelers’ QB3 earlier in the season. He made that more than clear on Monday.