Getty Pittsburgh Steelers backup QB Mason Rudolph.
Earlier in the offseason the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup quarterback situation was characterized by one longtime NFL insider/analyst as one of the ‘biggest roster holes’ in the NFL. It’s probably fair to say that most Steelers fans would agree with that assessment. Moreover, recent backup QB rankings released by Pro Football Focus and NFL.com, both have Rudolph ranked as the 28th-best projected backup QB in the league.
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com seems particularly harsh in his assessment, noting that “Pittsburgh coaches and fans say they need to see more from Rudolph before honestly evaluating him, which feels like the same sort of sunk-cost fallacy that makes teams stick with starters like Mitch Trubisky [Chicago Bears] for too long.”
Never mind that you can’t compare the financial investment involved with a No. 2 pick in the draft versus that of a QB selected midway through round three. Rudolph deserves more time to develop—and another opportunity to prove himself.
The Steelers seem to agree, as the organization prepares to enter the 2020 season with the same backup QBs that they had in 2019—including No. 3 QB Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges—as former first-round pick Paxton Lynch has reportedly failed to impress anyone at training camp.
Steelers QBs and the Salary Cap
Anyway, it’s not like the Steelers have the salary cap space to add a veteran free agent quarterback. Pittsburgh is tight up against the 2020 salary cap and next year promises to be even worse, thanks to ‘COVID-19 adjustments’ that could see the 2021 salary cap go down to $175 million, this as compared to an initially expected $200 million-plus.
The Steelers will need inexpensive backup QBs again in 2021, as Ben Roethlisberger’s salary cap charge for next year is expected to be $41,250,000. This as compared to Rudolph, who is scheduled to earn $1,014,801 next season and count just $1,247,867 against the cap. Hodges isn’t under contract for 2021, but would remain under team control and likely command a salary of $850,000 or thereabouts.
Reports on Mason Rudolph from Training Camp
On the bright side, reports from beat reporters who attend Steelers practices indicate that Rudolph has taken a step forward this season.
For example, a few days ago Mark Kaboly of The Athletic related how Rudolph’s performance in camp has been a pleasant surprise.
“The backup quarterback has been good when you compare this with his first two camps,” said Kaboly. “The accuracy has been a lot better, and the command of the huddle seems to be spot on. I also haven’t seen much of the indecisiveness that got him into trouble at times last year as he tried to replace Roethlisberger.”
Nevertheless, it’s true that “no matter how Rudolph is said to be practicing, nobody outside the organization will believe in him until he shows it consistently on the field,” he concluded.
Rudolph is attempting to build on a body of work that has seen him complete 176 of 283 career passes with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions, winning five of eight starts in the process.
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