The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Is it time to give Mason Rudolph a chance?
Although they managed to put up 18 points last night, which is apparently good by their standards, the Steelers offense has not looked good with Mitch Trubisky under center. Not that it looked very good with Kenny Pickett at quarterback, either. And the lack of a running game against the New England Patriots didn’t help at all.
But with Pickett expected to miss at least a couple more games, and with a bit of a longer week before their next game, the Steelers have some time to consider their next move. Mason Rudolph has hardly practiced at all this year as the third quarterback, so it would have always been a press to get him ready to start on a Thursday.
Trubisky’s established pattern of erratic aggressiveness was on display against a quality New England Patriots defense that largely was able to take advantage. They picked him off once, but could have gotten him once or twice more, and he connected on few throws of significance.
Could Rudolph really be any worse? Head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that he never gave any thought to pulling Trubisky for Rudolph. But he also said during the week when asked why he was going with Trubisky was basically because he had been the one practicing.
He could use this upcoming week, a more normal preparation period, to get a better sense of his options. Going from Sunday to Thursday, you’re mostly going through walkthroughs when you’re on the field at all, so it’s hard to get reps.
My inclination is that Tomlin will stick with Trubisky, but should he? It’s increasingly starting to feel as though there isn’t much to lose, and that’s usually a good time to try something different. I know there is a small contingent that believes Rudolph is the best quarterback on the roster, anyway. But he hasn’t thrown a pass since the day after Christmas in 2021.
