Many expect this to be Ben Roethlisberger’s last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to ESPN, a source indicated Roethlisberger expects this to be his last season in Pittsburgh, and the team’s playoff hopes are fading following their latest loss. If Roethlisberger retires or the Steelers allow Big Ben to walk, many draft experts expect Pittsburgh to draft a quarterback in the first round — such as University of Pittsburgh prospect Kenny Pickett.
However, longtime Steelers insider Mark Madden doesn’t expect that to be the case.
While appearing on the “Madden Monday” podcast on December 13, Madden said he not only expects the Steelers to pass on drafting a quarterback in the first round, he expects Pittsburgh to go with Mason Rudolph as their quarterback for the 2022 season.
“I don’t think they’ll go quarterback in the first round,” Madden predicted. “I think they’ll let Mason Rudolph start the year and see how he does. I think you’ve got to go offensive line in the first round. But they’ve screwed (up) so many times, with so many different draft picks lately — not least and most recently Devin Bush — how can we get a read on their philosophy?”
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Rudolph Doesn’t Sound Like Appealing Option
Many are aware the Steelers could go in a number of directions at quarterback. They could draft one or they could sign or trade for a veteran. However, no one is expecting the Steelers to go with Rudolph over any of the previously mentioned options.
While Rudolph is the Steelers’ backup, was drafted by the team and has experience under his belt (10 starts), he’s been anything but impressive during his time as a starter.
The 26-year-old has thrown for 16 touchdowns against 11 interceptions for an 81.1 quarterback rating while mustering a 5-4-1 record. Rudolph was also previously replaced by undrafted quarterback Devlin Hodges late in the 2019 season as the starter while the team was competing for a playoff berth.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was blunt in his reasoning for replacing Rudolph with an unproven player such as Hodges.
“He has not killed us,” Tomlin said in November 2019.
Even if the Steelers don’t draft Pickett or any of the other quarterbacks in the first round, it’s hard to envision a scenario where Pittsburgh doesn’t target one through free agency or the trade market.
Russell Wilson is obviously the most popular name being floated in trade rumors, but there’s several notable veterans on the market — such as Teddy Bridgewater and Jameis Winston — who could easily land in Pittsburgh.
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Fitzpatrick Sounds Off on Referees
Free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was not too happy following the Steelers’ latest loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
After the Steelers fell 36-28 to the Vikings in Week 13, Fitzpatrick sounded off on the officiating via Twitter on Saturday, December 11.
“Very poor officiating,” said Fitzpatrick. “Calls like this can change the outcomes of games. Football is a violent sport. People will get hit hard legally. Receivers running across the middle know what they signed up for. It’s a part of the game.”
Fitzpatrick was referencing being flagged for an unnecessary roughness personal foul for hitting receiver K.J. Osborn during a first-and-goal into the end zone during the third quarter.
Luckily, the play did not cost the Steelers points. They held their ground for the next three plays and forced the Vikings to kick a field goal to go up 29-0.
However, Fitzpatrick’s point still stands — referees need to stop making bad calls on physical hits when they’re textbook plays.
It ends up influencing outcomes for all the wrong reasons in games.
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