Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 season is over, the team finishing above .500 but failing to make the postseason, we turn our attention to the offseason and everything that means. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on broader contexts, reflecting on a player’s development, either positively or negatively, over the course of the season. Other evaluations will reflect only one immediate event or trend. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: QB Mason Rudolph
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: The Steelers announced earlier this month that they have re-signed quarterback Mason Rudolph. A third-round draft pick in 2018, Rudolph has spent his entire career with the Steelers up to this point, but after being demoted to the third string, he was expected to find a new opportunity elsewhere. Evidently, no lucrative opportunities emerged for him, and so he is back in the ‘Burgh.
It seemed to shock and amaze all when it was reported that the Steelers and Mason Rudolph had agreed to terms on a one-year contract. Especially in hindsight, perhaps it shouldn’t have. After all, how in-demand is a non-playoff team’s third-string quarterback really going to be? The one quarterback on last year’s roster who already had years of experience in the system and still ended up on the bottom of the depth chart?
As hurt as Rudolph may have been by how last year transpired—or maybe more accurately, as hurt as certain beat writers and fans were on his behalf—the reality is that if he had a better opportunity elsewhere, he probably would be gone.
According to Gerry Dulac, having spoken to Rudolph, the Steelers made it clear to the quarterback that if he were to re-sign, it would be squarely for the third quarterback role. Kenny Pickett is the starter. Mitch Trubisky is the backup.
While I do think certain things going both ways have been overblown—Rudolph wasn’t badly mistreated, nor is he likely to have had nearly as strong feelings as many have implied—the reality is that Pittsburgh doesn’t offer him much opportunity for upward mobility.
But he’s also going into his sixth season now. If he had much upward mobility, the odds are he would have found it by now. He is a depth quarterback. That’s what he was signed to be, and that’s what he is going to be.
The good news for all involved is that any possibility of pretense is over. There will be no dog and pony shows. There won’t be any talk about how wonderful everybody is and how anybody can be anything they set their mind to.
Everybody knows going in this season what the story is. 1) Pickett, 2) Trubisky, 3) Rudolph. Nice and simple.
