With the future of the Steelers QB situation up in the air, Mason Rudolph improved his stock in 20

by



[ad_1]

About an hour ago

There were only 79 shots in five games, much of it in “cleaning service,” and even the relevant play came during a trivial game for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But Mason Rudolph’s performance in 2020 has provided the organization with a level of comfort and confidence it deserves in some of his quarterback depth chart.

How much remains to be seen, especially with unanswered questions about Ben Roethlisberger’s status and the Steelers’ plan for a path to competitiveness in the post-Big Ben era. Certainly, however, Rudolph has earned the right to be no worse than the Steelers’ second quarterback heading into next season.

“I thought he was showing he had taken a step forward in growing and developing his performance, even though it was a small sample,” said coach Mike Tomlin. “I imagine he will continue with this growth and development.”

Rudolph’s audition took place in the regular season finale on January 3 in Cleveland. His raw numbers were encouraging: 315 passing yards, 8.1 yards per attempt, two touchdowns. But his play in the higher stakes “possession” situations and in the second half, when the Steelers were behind, provided Rudolph’s best view.

On shots third and fourth and 10 or more against the Browns, Rudolph was 8 for 10 for 140 yards with two touchdowns. And Rudolph was scoring 97.7 and 9.0 yards per attempt in the second period, including 7 of 14 for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

It was even enough for 38-year-old Roethlisberger to proclaim Rudolph as a future NFL starter.

“And I felt that even before this game,” Roethlisberger said. “He didn’t have to go out there and play well for me to feel that way.

“He’s just showing the rest of the world what we’ve seen here before.”

The Steelers have said they had a first-round note on Rudolph when they took him to the third round of the 2018 draft. It’s not an empty post-draft platitude, either. There were a few mock drafts that got Rudolph behind in the first round.

But five passers-by made it into the first round of that heavy quarterback draft, leaving few needy QB teams and allowing Rudolph to fall after a prolific career at Oklahoma State.

After a year as the Steelers’ third-string quarterback, Rudolph started eight games in 2019 and appeared in two more after Roethlisberger underwent elbow surgery. Rudolph showed flashes, going 5-3 as a starter, but he was also at one point benched in favor of undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges.

But injuries and suspension watered down his receiving group. Rudolph occasionally pitched at Johnny Holton, Ryan Switzer, Tevin Jones and Nick Vannett.

With an extra year of NFL experience and practice, along with a better supporting cast, Rudolph scored much higher in 2020.

Perhaps the most heartwarming aspect of Rudolph’s debut earlier this month is that he brought the big play back to Steeler’s offense. Rudolph produced almost as many passing plays over 40 yards (three) as Roethlisberger in 15 games (four).

According to NFL Next Generation stats, Rudolph’s predicted average aerial yards (how far a pass’s line of scrimmage goes) of 11.0 and completed aerial yards of 9.5 in this game would all have two led the NFL for the full season. They also eclipsed what the much-maligned, short-pass-based Steelers offense produced under Roethlisberger (7.0 and 4.6, respectively, each the worst of any QB this season who has made at least seven starts. ).

Still, if Big Ben returns, Rudolph remains a replacement for the final year of his contract. But in the event Roethlisberger retires, has Rudolph shown enough to be the starter for 2021? Or even more? Should the Steelers sign him an extension to be a backup or as someone who can compete to start?

No one knows for sure how this will play out. But it is certain that Rudolph will be part of this discussion.

“We’ll see where that takes us in terms of what he’s able to provide us,” Tomlin said. “I’m delighted that he was able to display this, and I think it’s reasonable for me to expect this general trajectory to continue.”

Chris Adamski is a writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Chris by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

Categories:
Sports | Steelers / NFL



[ad_2]

Source link