The Steelers have four quarterbacks they like and only three spots on the roster. Here’s how Pittsburgh could play out the perfect scenario in 2021.
Steelers fans seem to have an array of opinions when it comes to the depth at the quarterback position. Some tend to believe that Mason Rudolph is Pittsburgh’s most reliable option after Ben Roethlisberger, while others think Dwayne Haskins should leapfrog Rudolph as the number two passer on the team.
In addition, Josh Dobbs has really stepped up his game this year and has played remarkably well in training camp this year. Though he sits as the fourth guy on the depth chart, there is a fanbase who believes the athletic quarterback should be given an opportunity to compete for the job.
Teams almost never roll with 4 quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, and most teams keep just two active on gameday. The Steelers typically keep 3 quarterbacks heading into the season, which means that one has to go.
But what if I told you there was a way that this could all work out?
Steelers can play out a perfect scenario with QB depth
The key to doing this involves finding an organization that would be willing to trade for Mason Rudolph. The former 2018 3rd-round pick has admittedly been unspectacular early in his NFL career, but his experience, youth, and contract may be enough to catch the eye of a desperate NFL team.
Take the Indianapolis Colts, for example. Though the team traded for Carson Wentz this offseason, the depth is concerning after him. The Colts drafted Jacob Eason in the fourth round last year, and he’s listed as their primary backup. However, he hasn’t played a snap in the NFL, and it would be hard to trust him to hold down the fort if Wentz is injured (like he has been so often).
While neither Rudolph nor Haskins has been spectacular when they played, Pittsburgh currently has the luxury of having two young backups with starting experience. Because Rudolph has two years on his contract after signing an extension with the team this offseason, an NFL team could get a serviceable backup at a reasonable price.
In exchange for his services, the Steelers wouldn’t fetch much if they were able to find a suitor – likely getting a late-round draft choice in return. However, getting something out of Rudolph would be better than cutting a player in Josh Dobbs who has outperformed both Haskins and Rudolph this offseason.
Why try to ditch Rudolph?
I’m not going to pretend like Mason Rudolph is worth much of anything to any other NFL team or that they can even get decent draft capital for his services. However, ditching Rudolph would give the Steelers their best lineup moving forward.
Though I’m not a big Dwayne Haskins fan myself, he at least has more tools to work with than Rudolph with a bigger arm to drive the ball down the field. As the Steelers may want to anyhow, Haskins could become the QB2 this year for the team – meaning that Josh Dobbs could make the team as the QB3.
Unlike Haskins, Dobbs could act as a scout-team quarterback when preparing for athletic passers like Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen. In addition, Matt Canada could even find creative ways to get him involved on offense in an effort to limit Big Ben’s workload as much as possible this year. Perhaps he could serve some version of a Taysom Hill role.
At the end of the day, the Steelers have four quarterbacks and only three spots to go around. Because Josh Dobbs has played so well, Pittsburgh would be wise to keep the two backups with the most to offer and see if there is a team out there that would be willing to bite on Mason Rudolph.