Backup quarterbacks have dominated the NFL news cycle all season. Earlier this season, it was all about Josh Dobbs. Now, it’s all about Jake Browning and Tommy DeVito (who might not be as popular if he didn’t look like an extra in The Sopranos). The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first experience with their backup quarterback in Mitch Trubisky didn’t go well. But in what NFL analyst Peter Schrager called “the year of the backup quarterback,” why not try again with Kenny Pickett still potentially sidelined with an ankle injury? On Good Morning Football, Schrager said he’s not ready to write the Steelers off and that Mason Rudolph could become the next backup quarterback to make some noise in the NFL.
“It’s the year of the backup quarterback. We’ve seen [Josh] Dobbs, Clayton Tune, we’ve seen Tommy DeVito, we’ve seen Nick Mullens, Tyson Bagent. Mason Rudolph. Our latest intro. What if? What if Mason Rudolph came in and saved the season for the Steelers as their third quarterback to take snaps. Rudolph saves Christmas!” Schrager said.
While it would make for an awesome story, Rudolph is going to have play a lot better than he has throughout his career to lead the Steelers to a 3-0 record down the stretch and give them any hope of making the postseason. However, his experience in Pittsburgh is something that Schrager thinks is beneficial for him in helping this team win.
“The guy who’s been there all along. Mason Rudolph’s not a rookie. Mason Rudolph’s been with the Steelers for years. He’s 28 years old, he knows this team inside and out,” Schrager said. “Look, when you tell me about a guy who’s been playing with the team since 2018, he’s been there and they just overlooked him and gone to different guy, after different guy, after different guy. I mean, it’s the year of the backup quarterback. I’m not coming on television and telling you Steelers are done until we see how this thing goes.”
There are two sides to the coin of Rudolph being experienced. The first is that he knows this team, he’s familiar with the offense and he has starting experience. The other is that his performance in the past is the reason why he’s been passed over and overlooked for other quarterbacks. Now, after watching Mitch Trubisky the last two games, I don’t think Rudolph is worse. And one other thing Rudolph has going for him is that he’s won a bit. He’s 5-4-1 as a starter, which at least lends some hope going forward. He also feels like he’s better now than he was a few years ago.
The storylines would write themselves if two days before Christmas, Rudolph kept the Steelers’ season alive. The Bengals are red-hot, winners of three straight, and Browning has looked really good over the last few weeks. The Steelers haven’t shown the desperation needed in back-to-back must-win games, so I don’t have a ton of confidence they will this week. But this week is the first time they actually face potential mathematical elimination from the playoffs, and with a quarterback change, maybe the Steelers will play with some urgency and win their last home game of the season.
