The Pittsburgh Steelers have to be pleased with their first preseason game. Mason Rudolph and James Washington might have displayed a preview of the future.
There’s a lot of positive takeaways from the first game of the preseason for the Steelers. They have to feel good about their backups and rookies. That, combined with Antonio Brown’s helmet tantrum, must make the front office happy about how their offseason decisions bode for their short-term future.
In the performance of Mason Rudolph and James Washington though, they might have seen more than a strong case for the number two spots at QB and WR. They may have seen the future.
Now, this is not to discount Joshua Dobbs, who had a great performance and may just as likely be the future starter after Ben. And obviously, JuJu Smith-Schuster likely has several years as a star WR in the black and gold ahead of him.
Let’s take a narrow focus and consider if this pair of one-time college teammates could have given the first glimpse into a connection and level of performance that may continue to develop into a force.
By way of background, the Steelers chose both Rudolph and Washington in the 2018 draft out of Oklahoma State. Washington was the 2nd round pick and Rudolph was taken just 16 picks later in the 3rd round. Neither player had a noteworthy first season.
Rudolph didn’t really see the field as the 3rd string QB, while Washington had a disappointing performance. After a Biletnikoff worthy senior year and being given ample opportunity on a team with a decade’s worth of getting great performances out of young WRs, Washington only put together 217 yards and 1 touchdown.
Fast forward to Friday’s preseason game against the Buccaneers.
Rudolph completed 5 of 8 passes for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. He finished with a quarterback rating of 141.1. His PFF grade was 89.2, and he demonstrated poise and good decision making throughout the game.
Obviously, this was against backups and young players. But that’s what Rudolph is too, and he stood out among them, suggesting he’s on a good pace in only his second year.
Washington had a great game as well – leading all wide receivers with 84 yards with 4 receptions and a touchdown to add to that. This included a huge 43-yard grab.
A lot of people justifiably felt that Donte Moncrief was the front-runner for the number two receiver job. That is not so clear. Reports all offseason was that Washington looked focused and determined, saying all the right things. His PFF grade was 90.8, so it seems to have paid off.
After the game, Washington said to Hunter Homistek of DK Sports Pittsburgh, “I never think I’m perfect. So, still focused and still determined.”
Could this be a preview of things to come? Is Rudolph-to-Washington something we should get used to? Is this a glimpse into what we can expect in 2 to 5 years?
Maybe a single preseason game is insufficient evidence. It’s more evidence than we’ve had before though. Maybe this is wild speculation based on a couple of quarters of a single meaningless game. But what else is preseason for?