The Pittsburgh Steelers need to find their next franchise quarterback, but here’s why one analyst predicts they will be content with Mason Rudolph next year.
If you are a Steelers fan hoping that Pittsburgh actively and aggressively pursues a game-changing quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft, this is not the headline you were hoping to read today. While I would like to say that starting Mason Rudolph isn’t even an option on the table for Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert, I’d be lying if I said there was no chance of this happening.
Though I tend to think the Steelers will go with a free agent option they like (perhaps a Marcus Mariota or Mitch Trubisky) until they find their next franchise passer, I can’t rule out Rudolph completely. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks this way.
Pittsburgh sports analyst and radio personality, Mark Madden recently offered his thoughts on the Steelers quarterback situation in 2022. According to Trib Live, Madden thinks the team will ‘let Mason Rudolph start and see how he does.’ Here’s what he had to say:
"“I don’t think they’ll go quarterback in the first round. I think they’ll let Mason Rudolph start the year and see how he does. I think you’ve got to go offensive line in the first round. But they’ve screwed (up) so many times, with so many different draft picks lately — not least and most recently Devin Bush — how can we get a read on their philosophy?”"
Madden is typically pretty blunt with his words, and some of his most recent comments are no exception. Though I may disagree with some of his methods of getting his point across, I think there is a reasonable possibility that the team could give Rudolph one more shot early in 2022.
Rudolph is not the answer for the Steelers
In case you were confused with where I stand on this topic, in no way do I view Mason Rudolph as the long-term solution for the Steelers at quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger.
Admittedly, there are probably a few traits that Rudolph has that are better than what a 40-year-old Roethlisberger would offer in 2022… but that doesn’t make him the man for the job. In his first four seasons, I saw a quarterback who still makes too many mistakes, has average tools to work with, can’t routinely escape pressure, and hasn’t shown much progression since coming into the league.
At some point, the team has to understand that more time under center isn’t going to fix all of the issues. Though I do believe that Rudolph could be a quality backup in this league for quite some time, he’s not ‘starter material’ in my mind.
In addition, Pittsburgh already missed the benefit of his rookie contract window. What I mean by that is with his cheap contact, the team could use the savings to build up a roster around him that can help them compete. However, the Steelers are now in a lose-lose situation: If Rudolph plays poorly, then he’s not the answer; if he plays well, then they must decide to pay him good money with one year of quality production.
Mason Rudolph will be 27 years old next season and his ceiling is very limited. I do think there’s a chance that the Steelers go with a free agent or take a quarterback early in the NFL Draft, but I can’t completely rule out Rudolph as an option that the Steelers could explore in 2022.