Mason Rudolph
Ok, possibly this selection may ruffle some feathers or perhaps not. However, one could make an argument for keeping Rudolph. When the Steelers drafted Rudolph, the media made him out to be the heir apparent. He has hardly improved much two seasons later, and anyone who thought he could lead the franchise after Big Ben was sorely mistaken. Even in the 2021 pre-season, while having his moments, he has not even led the Steelers on one scoring drive, which is a bit concerning.
Perhaps Mason was not ready to take the reigns as a rookie in the aftermath of Ben Roethlisberger’s injury; however, he was the backup; it was his job. He then went 5-3. Then it got to the point Tomlin couldn’t decide whether he liked Rudolph or his backup Devlin Hodges, who went 3-3 as a starter as well.
In 2020 Rudolph spent most of the season on the bench except for having to fill in for a few series in the Dallas game and starting the final game against Cleveland as win or loss wouldn’t affect the standings. He proceeded to lose, and one can argue that gave the spark the Browns needed to oust the Steelers from the playoffs a week later.
In 2021 so far, in two pre-season games, Rudolph had a mixed bag. In the Dallas game, Rudolph only managed to go 6 of 9 for a mere 84 yards and no Scoring drives. Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs led the Steelers to three scoring drives in the 2nd half trouncing the Dallas Cowboys 16-3. Against the Eagles, Rudolph went 8 for 9, not bad, but only 77 yards and no touchdowns or scoring drives. Then Dwayne Haskins stole the show going 16 of 22 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Dobbs has been somewhere in between; if Dobbs stays, he’s a 3rd stringer for sure.
Ok, on one side, Rudolph has had the experience as a starter which makes him valuable, yet he does not seem to be improving. Haskins, either way, is looking good, but take that with a grain of salt it’s only the pre-season he’s facing 2nd and 3rd stringers. Also given their pre-season performances, one can argue to keep Haskins as the 2nd string and keep Dobbs as the 3rd string and let Rudolph find a new home. Then in 2022, go look for an actual heir for Roethlisberger. That would save us from articles by online pundits continually creating scenarios that bring Aaron Rodgers to Pittsburgh.