Getty Mason Rudolph stands on the sidelines without a helmet during preseason action for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Aren’t the Cleveland Browns, not the Pittsburgh Steelers, the AFC North squad expected to have persistent issues at the NFL‘s most important position?
Well, Cleveland is having quarterback troubles with Deshaun Watson out and Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Joe Flacco battling for snaps. But so too is Pittsburgh now that Kenny Pickett is out of action, clearing the way for some uninspiring combination of Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph action.
Now, Ben Roethlisberger, who made the last Pro Bowl appearance among Pittsburgh signal-callers back in 2017, is taking (justifiable) shots at Rudolph and questioning why he’s been unable to get onto the playing surface.
Ben Roethlisberger Didn’t Hold Back When Discussing Mason Rudolph
“I’ll say this: He’s been here a long time,” Pittsburgh legend Ben Roethlisberger said about Mason Rudolph during an appearance with Randy Baumann on the DVE Morning Show. “Why hasn’t he played yet? There must be something, right?”
With Pickett out for multiple weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury suffered midway through a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Steelers are searching for options. Trubisky has been uninspiring whenever he’s received snaps, but the only other internal choices are the nearly invisible Rudolph and Trace McSorley, who Pittsburgh recently signed to the practice squad.
Even as debates have swirled about the proper course of action, Roethlisberger has been adamant about how he’d handle the position.
“You’re gotta go with Mitch,” he said on Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. “There’s no way you could go with Mason. I mean, he hasn’t got any reps. I mean, if you were putting Mason in now, maybe. But you couldn’t do Mitch now and go with Mason.”
Roethlisberger is correct. Rudolph doesn’t have any reps.
He hasn’t for quite some time.
Mason Rudolph Hasn’t Received Meaningful Snaps in Years
GettyMason Rudolph (No. 2) and Ben Roethlisberger (No. 7) jog during warm-ups for a November 20 Pittsburgh Steelers game
A third-round pick out of Oklahoma State during the 2018 NFL draft, Mason Rudolph debuted during the 2019 season following a Ben Roethlisberger injury. He made eight starts and 10 appearances, winning five games as he completed 62.2% of his passes with 13 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
But once Big Ben’s body was in working order—as much as it ever was in the later stages of his career—Rudolph again found himself glued to the bench during the 2020 campaign. He lost his only start in the regular-season finale, throwing for 315 yards, two touchdowns and a pick against the Browns as Roethlisberger set out for rest purposes.
One year later, Rudolph played his way to a 16-16 tie with the Detroit Lions in his lone start while Roethlisberger was in COVID-19 protocols. And that was about it. He’s returned on one-year contracts for each of the last three seasons, but he’s been mired in a third-string role and hasn’t taken a single meaningful snap since throwing eight passes in the closing stages of a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on December 26, 2021.
When Roethlisberger says Rudolph has been in Pittsburgh for a long time, he’s correct. The same is true when he questions why the Steelers would suddenly call his number after refusing to let him take any snaps of note for nearly two calendar years.
Don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
If history is any indication, the Steelers will roll with Trubisky until Pickett is ready to return—if not beyond that time. And if the 29-year-old disappoints in his latest opportunity, they’ll likely turn to McSorely or an external option before exchanging Rudolph’s clipboard for an actual pigskin.