As things stand right now with the Pittsburgh Steelers Mason Rudolph is slated to be the team’s backup to starter Ben Roethlisberger to start the 2021 season. It’s hard seeing that change in the next 90 days. So, where does Rudolph rank right now league-wide when compared to other backup quarterbacks around the league? Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports believes he has the best answer to that question.
On Monday, Benjamin ranked all 32 backup quarterbacks in the NFL as he believes the depth charts sit currently. He has Rudolph ranked 15th overall league-wide on his list below is the little blurb he has attacked to the former third-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State.
“He’s got prototypical size, he improved in Year Three after a bomb of a stretch replacing Ben Roethlisberger in 2019, and he’s still just 25. But are you trusting him to win an important game? He’s got the stuff to keep you afloat, but not necessarily much else.”
Is that a fair ranking for Rudolph? Personally, I think it’s a tad too low. For starters, I’m not sure how Benjamin justifies ranking four rookies ahead of Rudolph. Look, all four rookies might end up being better quarterbacks than Rudolph. Until each one of them plays, it just seems too early to have any of them in the top 15. Also, has Jordan Love even attempted an NFL pass yet for the Green Bay Packers? Seems a bit early for him to be in the top 15 as well.
To date, Rudolph has completed 201 of his 326 total pass attempts for 2,089 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He is also 5-4 as a starter to date. The Steelers signed Rudolph to a one-year extension earlier in offseason and that will carry him through the 2022 season. He is on track to be the Steelers starting quarterback for at least Week 1 of the 2022 season.
Personally, I would only have backup quarterbacks with at least a few games of experience ranked in the top 15. Using that methodology and applying it to Benjamin’s rankings, that would put Rudolph at 10th overall and that sounds more in line as to where he belongs on such a list.
Where would you rank Rudolph?
