Mason Rudolph is saying all the right things. Which is good because there isn’t much else for him to do. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-string quarterback for the last two years, Rudolph has bumped up to the No. 2 position while Kenny Pickett recovers from ankle surgery. Pickett’s return is unclear but Rudolph’s role in the meantime is. He’s the backup. Mitch Trubisky is the starter.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Rudolph was asked if he’s been a fair chance to play. After struggling to find the words, he avoided the question.
“Listen, I’m the backup quarterback in the NFL,” he said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “I’m very thankful. You think about how much work it takes for all these guys in this locker room to get to this level. I’m going to be sharp. I’m going to stay sharp all week. I’m going to be ready if and when my number is called.”
When his backup quarterback days are over, Rudolph has a bright future in politics. Because that was one heck of a “pivot.”
Despite Mitch Trubisky’s lackluster performance Thursday night against the New England Patriots, Mike Tomlin didn’t even crack the door to a competition between him and Rudolph for Saturday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
“We’re not opening up competition and things of that nature,” Tomlin said during his Monday press conference. “It’s just not an environment for that as we work.”
It’s a contrast to last year where the Steelers at least framed a competition between the two for Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers, a game Pickett missed due to a concussion. Now, Trubisky’s the guy presumably until Pickett returns, which may not be until Week 17 or Week 18.
During Thursday’s game, fans chanted for Rudolph to enter the game. Via 93.7 The Fan, he told reporters he heard the crowd but acknowledged he’s been “on both sides” of that, likely referring to 2019 when fans booed him and cheered on Duck Hodges. Rudolph was one the butt of the joke. Now, fans have warmed up to him.
Clearly, Rudolph isn’t a long-term option. But he’s shown better risk management than Trubisky, too careless with the football and too prone to making mistakes the offense can’t afford.
The fact Rudolph is even in the Steelers’ locker room is a mild surprise. A free agent following the 2022 season, it seemed certain he would land somewhere else in the hopes of becoming another team’s top back instead of Pittsburgh’s third-stringer. But greeted with a long and icy free agent market, Rudolph returned to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal for the minimum. The last time he’s appeared in an NFL game was mop-up duty late in the 2021 season. His last start came earlier that year, an emergency replacement for Ben Roethlisberger after he tested positive for COVID 24 hours before the team’s game against the Detroit Lions. Based on how the Steelers have constructed things, that streak will continue.
