When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft in April it appeared to place the writing on the wall for Mason Rudolph. Not only did the Steelers go out and sign Mitchell Trubisky on the first day of free agency, but they also selected a quarterback in the first round of the draft. Didn't look like a big vote of confidence for Rudolph.
Mason Rudolph and Matt Canada talk during training camp in 2021. Photo/ JSKO_PHOTO (twitter)
But as the Steelers depart for the final few weeks before training camp it seems like Rudolph is still cemented into the conversation for the starting position regardless of whether or not the media or the fans are speaking about it. Last week Mark Kaboly of the Athletic listed Pickett as a 'loser' from spring practices because he remained stuck at the #3 spot on the quarterback pecking order throughout OTA's and Mini Camp.
Instead of Pickett moving up and being allowed to show what he can do it was Rudolph taking all of the #2 reps and looking crisper passing the ball than Pickett. While Pickett was listed as the loser, Rudolph was listed as a 'winner' by Kaboly.
"Regardless of where he landed in the rep pecking order, Rudolph looked the best of the four quarterbacks," Kaboly wrote. "Surely, you scoff at that notion, but Rudolph has used the past three weeks to at least put himself in the conversation of being in the battle, even though it remains a long shot."
Rudolph looked like the best quarterback? That's a scary thought to say the least. All reports from camp said that Trubisky looked solid, but the fact that anyone thought Rudolph was the best has to make your stomach a little queasy while you're reading this.
Rudolph is a meticulous worker, and you see that come through on the field during the spring, as he works scripts before practice and goes over plays that aren’t on the script for that day just to make sure he is prepared. His arm looked strong, he made a lot of good throws, probably threw the most consistent ball and showed off what Canada requires all of his quarterbacks to do — move with the ball.
It's always been obvious that Rudolph has a big arm. Last season when he started against the Detroit Lions, he routinely uncorked long balls, but the problem was they never connected. At least until overtime when he hit Diontae Johnson for a long gainer that may have set the Steelers up to win the game, but Johnson fumbled it away. Rudolph threw for a million yards in college, but it just hasn't translated into the NFL.
Steelers' QB Mason Rudolph makes a throw in OTA's (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Mike Tomlin has continued to insist that Rudolph is still part of the equation for the starting position. Even Rudolph confirmed that he was told privately that he still had a chance. But it has to be minimal at best. Even if he goes out and lights it up in the preseason it's going to take a miracle for him to overtake Trubisky. Or a disastrous preseason by Trubisky.
But if Rudolph does go out and continue to have a solid training camp and preseason then teams are going to start getting interested. The quarterback market is always dynamic. Back-ups are sometimes near the top of the payroll and they're the back up! Now don't get it misconstrued, Rudolph isn't going to fetch a first round pick in a trade. The only reason we use the term skyrocketing is because the thought of getting anything back in a trade of value for Rudolph was always laughable at best. But he could get his value up to a 4th round pick if the right situation comes about. Maybe they could get a 5th and a 7th? Sky is the limit if a team starts getting desperate.
Last week we saw Jaguars back up CJ Beathard injure his knee, but after initial reports believed it was season ending further evaluations gave back a positive report. The Jags expect him to return in time for training camp. But this won't be the only injury to a quarterback across the league before the real games start. Thats where an opportunity for the Steelers to get some value for Rudolph may arise. And the better he plays up until that point the better it is for the Steelers.
