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TOWNSHIP, Ohio – the Pittsburgh Steelers got a glimpse of what life might be like without Ben Roethlisberger if he retires in 2022 or gets injured again this year. And it was not pretty. Mason Rudolph took the start against the Dallas Cowboys and it was good, but not great. Rudolph’s performance in the Hall of Fame game gave Dwayne Haskins the opportunity to make a real play for the Steelers backup quarterback job.
Dwayne Haskins Hall of Fame Game Performance
Haskins was even more meh than Rudolph – a disappointing development for the former first-round pick seeking a career rebirth in western Pennsylvania.
He was strong in training camp based on local reporting, and the Ohio State product spoke confidently of running for the No.2 position in the days leading up to the game. Haskins could have used some more of that moxie between hashes on Thursday [August 5].
Instead, he constantly threw the sticks and hardly ever looked down against a group of second chain defenders.
The third-year signalman struggled to instill confidence
Haskins, who left Washington even before the end of his second season, scored 8 of 13 for 54 yards. In addition, his longest pass was 15 yards. His average yards per attempt (4.2) would have been good if he had run the ball, not the throw.
And what’s even more alarming is that he didn’t convert a single third, despite 3 of 4 assists in those situations. With the context, it’s clear that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was generous with his words after the game when he said, “I liked his behavior.”
“I thought he was a very good communicator. I thought he was really present and cerebral, like you like the QB position. There are so many balls in front of him and the others. That’s why it was important, we were thrilled to be a part of this game. We will use it as an additional opportunity to gain some exposure to these quarterbacks. “
Unfortunately, the more Haskins was exposed in the NFL, the less impressive he was.
He only won three of his 13 NFL starts out and has below-par career metrics including 6.3 yards per passing attempt. Haskins has more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (12) as a pro. And he never really feels like a threat to push the ball down the field – a career average target depth of 7.4.
Mason Rudolph has no problem pushing the ball down
This is not the case with Rudolph, who loves to throw it. He hooked up with Chase Claypool on a 45-yard missile in the second quarter for the biggest (only?) Climax of the game. Tomlin loves big chunks and Rudolph can provide them for him.
CHASE POOL
Put that on TikTok! 📸
– Professional football network (@ PFN365) August 6, 2021
Rudolph’s problem is ball safety. He has 10 interceptions in 201 career pass attempts. And he pulled off a reverse transfer to the game’s opening disc, resulting in a lost fumble. After the game he said, “I have to do a better job to put him in his place.
Tomlin wasn’t in the mood to cripple the quarterback battle Thursday. “Keep watching,” he told reporters who asked and quickly checked on those who thought it was a two-man battle for the Steelers’ replacement job.
Joshua Dobbs is a dark horse contender to win the Steelers’ QB battle
The Steelers’ best quarterback on Thursday was the one who finished the game. Josh Dobbs, still underdog, had the only touchdown of the game – a 5-yard connection with Tyler Simmons.
Tomlin said, “He’s been with us before and played the same way when we got the chance… he’s not going anywhere.”
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