The Steelers took advantage of a new NFL rule before it was even passed
The Pittsburgh Steelers took advantage of a new NFL rule for the 2023 season before it was even passed. On Monday, the NFL passed a new rule that allows a team to carry a third quarterback on game days that can be used if a team's first two quarterbacks have to leave due to injury […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers took advantage of a new NFL rule for the 2023 season before it was even passed.
On Monday, the NFL passed a new rule that allows a team to carry a third quarterback on game days that can be used if a team's first two quarterbacks have to leave due to injury (essentially the Brock Purdy rule).
The caveat is that the quarterback has to be on a team's 53-man roster, which means it can't be a practice squad player.
It's unclear how many teams will take advantage of this new rule, but one team that will undoubtedly be taking advantage of the rule is Pittsburgh.
Second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett will be the starter for the Steelers this fall. Mitch Trubisky, who just recently signed a three-year extension with Pittsburgh, should serve as the Steelers' No. 2 quarterback.
Mason Rudolph, a third-round selection by Pittsburgh in the 2018 NFL Draft, signed a new one-year deal with the Steelers last week. He'll almost certainly be Pittsburgh's No. 3 quarterback and he'll likely be the emergency quarterback that dresses out on game day.
Rudolph said recently on the "Steel Here" podcast that he had other options, but he chose to remain in Pittsburgh.
"I'm not gonna name teams, because I'm a part of the only team that matters now, but I had opportunities," said Rudolph. "I tried to be reasonable with the expectation that I've got two starts in the last three seasons, not a whole lot of game tape to go off of. But at the same time, there's so many things that are attractive about this place."
The Steelers clearly wanted Rudolph back as their No. 3 quarterback. And they convinced him to re-sign over other opportunities.
Was Pittsburgh thinking about the new NFL rule when they brought Rudolph back?
Possibly. Even though the rule hadn't been passed yet when they re-signed Rudolph, they likely had a strong feeling it would be.
The Steelers didn't re-sign Rudolph with the hope that he'd make the 53-man roster — they already know what the former Oklahoma State standout has to offer. That tells us that Rudolph should be a fixture on the 53-man roster all season.
So because of this new rule, the Steelers can dress Rudolph out on game days without sacrificing a game-day roster spot. And if something happens to Pickett and Trubisky, they'll have Rudolph ready to go.
This is just another example of the Steelers always being a step ahead.
There's a reason why Pittsburgh is a perennial winner and it's in part because of small under-the-radar moves like this one.
