Steelers Urged to Cut Potential Offensive Starter in 2022

Getty The Steelers should consider cutting Mason Rudolph, says one analyst.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could make an unexpected cut heading into the 2022 season.

The Steelers will enter a new era following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. While the Roethlisberger era brought a sense of certainty and consistency, no one is quite sure how Pittsburgh will perform next season.

One thing is for certain and that’s the fact that the Steelers have to find a new quarterback. Whether that’s through the 2022 NFL Draft, free agency, via trade or from within the organization, the Steelers will have to find that franchise quarterback soon.

And while Mason Rudolph currently projects to be that guy (for now) considering he was the backup to Roethlisberger this past season, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox proposes that the Steelers simply cut ties with the inconsistent Rudolph.

Why Steelers Could Cut Rudolph

“As the Steelers look to move on from the Roethlisberger era, they may consider keeping backup quarterback Mason Rudolph,” says Knox. “He has starting experience and has been in the Pittsburgh system since 2019. However, if the Steelers are able to land a promising signal-caller in the draft—or perhaps a free-agent veteran with upside like Jameis Winston—they should consider letting Rudolph walk.

The reality is that Pittsburgh knows what it has in Rudolph, and it’s not a lot. At best, he’s a low-end game-manager with a career passer rating of 80.9 and an average of just 6.2 yards per pass attempt.

Rudolph also lacks the mobility that head coach Mike Tomlin would love to have behind the Steelers’ inconsistent offensive line.

“Man, quarterback mobility is valued not only by me but everyone,” Tomlin told reporters in his postseason press conference. “It’s just a component of today’s game and increasingly so.”

Pittsburgh shouldn’t be eager to muddle its quarterback competition with a player it knows isn’t the future at the position. Releasing him would save a modest $3 million in cap space, but it would also open the door for a quarterback who might be a proper heir to Big Ben.”

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Why the Steelers Won’t Cut Rudolph

Although he’s only started 10 games during his three-year career, Rudolph has had a rough history in Pittsburgh. Not only is Rudolph just 5-4-1 in his 10 starts, he was previously replaced as the starting quarterback by an undrafted free agent pickup in Devlin Hodges towards the end of the 2019 season. His most recent lowlight came in his lone start during the 2021 season when he led the Steelers to a tie versus the previously-winless Detroit Lions.

Despite his less-than-stellar history, Rudolph will have a shot at winning the starting job against fellow incumbent Dwayne Haskins, according to head coach Mike Tomlin.

“Both guys, Mason and Dwayne, have had their moments, but they’ll have to prove that,” Tomlin said back in January. “And not only in the team development process, but through playing itself. There are guys that start that I wouldn’t characterize as everyday starters. They’ll be given an opportunity to establish themselves and there’s going to be competition, there always is. So, they’ll write that story. But I think that both guys have positioned themselves to fight that fight with what they’ve done from a work standpoint and a professionalism standpoint in 2021.”

Considering Rudolph is the most experienced quarterback in Pittsburgh’s system following Big Ben’s retirement, it’s hard to envision the Steelers cutting Rudolph in the offseason.

If there’s any chance of Rudolph being cut, it’ll be during final roster cut-downs. That only happens if he proves incapable of beating out Haskins and any other QB the Steelers bring in for their quarterback competition.