Steelers show a great deal of faith in QB Mason Rudolph

The Pittsburgh Steelers made some interesting moves as of late. Here’s what they have done to express their faith in quarterback Mason Rudolph.

When news broke that Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, was done for the season, the Steelers did anything but throw in the towel. In fact, they went out of their way to bolster their current roster.

Not only is Roethlisberger set to miss at least the entire 2019 season, but starting free safety and former 2016 2nd round draft choice, Sean Davis, was placed on Injured Reserve this week. In the midst of this disaster, the Steelers did what very few thought they would.

Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin elected to trade away their 2020 1st round draft choice in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Knowing full well that their season hinges on second year-quarterback, Mason Rudolph, the Steelers were willing to trade away what could end up being a very valuable pick to add a player who could help make sure their team stays competitive in 2019.

By doing this, Colbert and Tomlin expressed a great deal of faith in Mason Rudolph. As is the case with every NFL team, you can only go as far as your quarterback will take you; and Pittsburgh’s brass believes they aren’t out of the race yet.

Rudolph was excellent in his first NFL action when he was forced to step in for the second half of the Seahawks game. After missing the mark on his first three passes, Rudolph ultimately finished the game completing 12 of 19 attempts for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was also credited with an interception, though that was the result of an inexcusable dropped pass from Donte Moncrief.

The Steelers have also showed faith in Rudolph by not reaching out to find a seasoned backup quarterback who could help push him. Instead, they promoted camp darling, Devlin Hodges to the active roster, and signed former first-round pick, Paxton Lynch to the practice squad.

Pittsburgh has made it clear that Rudolph is their man this year. Mike Tomlin admitted to having a first-round grade on the Oklahoma State quarterback coming out of college, and he is hoping his assessment is correct.

Rudolph will have the next 14 games to prove why he should be Ben Roethlisberger’s successor. It’s too early to tell if this is a realistic possibility, but for the sake of the franchise and what the Steelers gave up to try to stay competitive this year, let’s hope he is.