Steelers plan to re-sign quarterback Mason Rudolph
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of, if not the most loyal organization in the NFL. Look no further than the number of head coaches, or the way they handled the end of the "Big Ben" era. But sometimes, your biggest strength can be your biggest flaw, and following the latest news out of Pittsburgh, that […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of, if not the most loyal organization in the NFL.
Look no further than the number of head coaches, or the way they handled the end of the "Big Ben" era.
But sometimes, your biggest strength can be your biggest flaw, and following the latest news out of Pittsburgh, that may very well be true.
First reported by Andrew Filliponi of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, the Steelers will be re-signing former backup and fill-in starter, Mason Rudolph. The news comes as the team looks to sure up the quarterback three spot.
The Steelers brought in Tanner Morgan as a UDFA after this year's draft and also held former Rams quarterback Bryce Perkins at rookie minicamp over the weekend. Apparently though, none of these players are scratching the Steelers' itch when it comes to the QB #3 spot.
Mark Kaboly who covers the Steelers for The Athletic made sense of why this happened now. Rudolph has been a free agent since March and could have signed with any other team but instead, he's back in Pittsburgh. Here's why according to Kaboly:
Rudolph wasn’t happy with how things went down last year. He felt that he played himself into at least the backup role coming out of training camp and should have gotten the opportunity to start a late-season game against the Panthers after Kenny Pickett was concussed the prior week.
After free agency was slow and other teams filled their needs, Rudolph’s best opportunity — not his only opportunity — was to return to the Steelers. He will be listed as the No. 3 quarterback, but there is a chance that because both Mitch Trubisky and Rudolph will be free agents next March and Trubisky has a cap hit over $10 million, Rudolph could slide into the No. 2 spot as a cheaper option and a long-term backup. — Kaboly
Now Kaboly seems to be in the camp of bringing Rudolph back, but I largely disagree. I understand that he hasn't had the easiest transition to the league with his best chances coming after Ben's injury in 2019, then the covid season, but the former third-round pick has played enough that teams know who he is and who he isn't.
In his largest stretch of action during 2019, Rudolph recorded a pedestrian 53.5 PFF grade, an 84% interception percentage index, and a 20% poor throw rate when looking at the advanced metrics.
Now, if Rudolph is back to be the quarterback three exclusively, I have no issue with the deal. The problem is, as Kaboly alluded to, if Pittsburgh wants to pinch pennies, elevating Rudolph to QB #2 and saving money on Trubisky, were one Kenny Pickett turf toe away from Rudolph starting games again.
Well, I don't know about you, but that's not a world I want to live in.
