For the first time since Week 14 of the 2022 season, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph will be on the active list for tonight’s game against the New England Patriots. We can’t quite say that he will dress for the first time since then, because beginning in 2023, the third, emergency quarterback role was reinstated, allowing an inactive third quarterback to dress and come into the game if two quarterbacks ahead of him were to leave the game due to injury.
A third-round pick in 2018 who was once seen as a potential heir apparent, Rudolph’s career has gone steadily south, many arguing that he was never given a fair shot to take over for Ben Roethlisberger following his retirement last year. I would argue that it doesn’t matter either way because he didn’t earn it despite seeing just as much work, but I digress.
With Kenny Pickett out for at least a couple weeks due to an ankle injury, however, Rudolph gets to dress as Mitch Trubisky’s backup for now. For the first time since Pickett’s last injury, he is actually one snap away from playing—and even that has become a foreign feeling after being the direct backup for most of his career.
“The hardest part of being the three is even though there is almost a zero percent statistical chance of you playing, you still have to prepare”, he told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “I try to push myself each week [so] that when this happens, you are ready and don’t miss a beat”.
As far as this opening any kind of door or presenting some larger opportunity, he’s not interested. Asked about head coach Mike Tomlin’s concept of “football justice”, he said, “I don’t even know what that means. All I want to do is do the best I can if I get a chance”.
Odds are he won’t get a chance unless Trubisky also gets injured, though if he really struggles for multiple games, a benching is not outside the realm of possibility. Both of them know what it’s like to be benched, after all. And both are done feeling sorry for themselves.
“I don’t think I deserve anything”, the sixth-year veteran acknowledged. “You work for what you get, and when you get an opportunity, that’s what you get — an opportunity to show what you can do. I am not going to speculate on crystal balls and football justice and stuff like that”.
Rudolph reportedly wanted to sign with some other team this offseason, acknowledging he wasn’t “seriously considering” a reunion in Pittsburgh. But when no concrete offers materialized in the first month of free agency, he opted to return to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal. That was reportedly with an understanding that in no uncertain terms he would be doing so as the clear number three.
“We are all competitors and everybody wants to play, but I am still very blessed to be part of this football team”, Rudolph reflected. “I still have a pretty good gig. You just keep plugging away waiting to possibly get that chance”.
And as long as he doesn’t expect too much out of it, such as, say, an opportunity to play or some way to parlay his time here into a contract with another team next year, he should be fine. But let’s hope he doesn’t get the opportunity to play—not because of anything against him, but because it means if he, the third quarterback, is in the game, something bad has happened.
