Steelers Given Absolutely No Reason To Expect Bigger Things From Mason Rudolph

The Pittsburgh Steelers were on their way to a truly dismal end to their 2023 campaign before Mason Rudolph stepped in and helped them get to a Wild Card game. While they did lose against the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Rudolph showed another level to his game and impressed quite a few people. Despite how Rudolph was the catalyst for Pittsburgh's three-game winning streak to finish the regular season, not everyone is convinced that he can be a franchise quarterback - in Pittsburgh or anywhere else.

Steelers Shouldn't Expect Much More From Rudolph

It's fair to say that Rudolph hasn't exactly enjoyed the kind of career that he was envisioning when he was taken with the Steelers' third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Ben Roethlisberger never took kindly to the idea of Rudolph being his eventual successor, and even when Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, things didn't get easier for Rudolph.

On Wednesday, Aditi Kinkhabwala, who works for the NFL on CBS, was on The PM Team with Poni & Mueller on 93.7 The Fan, and the trajectory of Rudolph's career came up. Kinkhabwala is certainly not one of those who became enamored with Rudolph's revival of the 2023 Steelers' season. According to Kinkhabwala, the Steelers have pretty much seen all they are going to from Rudolph.

"For everybody who sits here and thinks that Mason Rudolph is Geno Smith [and] he just needed time and is suddenly going to be something, there's plenty of other people that said, 'Okay, Mason Rudolph had plenty of time to show who he is, and you know who he is at this point.' All due respect... but do we really think that Mason Rudolph is on the cusp of becoming an NFL MVP and Super Bowl-winning quarterback?"

There is a point to be made regarding the Steelers possibly being blinded by Rudolph's impressive finish for the 2023 Steelers. Three solid games aside, Rudolph has more question marks than certainties about his long-term abilities. On the surface, it seems somewhat obvious that if it's between Rudolph and Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh would be hard-pressed to hand the keys back to Pickett after what Rudolph displayed.

It's a very long road from late January to the start of 2024 football, but when that time does come, the Steelers will have to be sure of whatever plan they put in place under center. If that involves Rudolph as a starter, then they had better hope what they saw in 2023 wasn't a flash in the pan. Otherwise, it's back to the 13-career touchdowns of Pickett.

Steelers Could Look Beyond Their Own QB Room For 2024

While most of the discussions have been about the possible 2024 quarterback battle between Rudolph and Pickett, the truth is that the answer could lie outside either of the two players. Pickett hasn't exactly stormed into the NFL, which many believe puts him at risk of being considered a first-round draft bust. It's hard to argue with fact, and when you've played in 25 NFL games like Pickett has, and your total tally is 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, it raises eyebrows.

Rudolph showed signs of something during the unexpected late-season run the 2023 Steelers enjoyed, but there is weight to Rudolph's previous years in the league without him being able to shake the backup title. If Rudolph legitimately had what the Steelers saw necessary in a franchise quarterback, none of this would have ever become an issue. Instead, the situation is what it is, and Rudolph could very well find himself wearing different colors in 2024.

Whether it is a big splash like Kirk Cousins, or a newly drafted quarterback, there is a very good possibility that Pittsburgh's starting quarterback for 2024 isn't on the roster yet. There are some who believe that either Pickett or Rudolph could enjoy a Josh Allen-like rise from his first two seasons, when his QBR never went above 49.8, to the present, where he is considered among the elite NFL quarterbacks. Not everyone is Allen however, and sometimes quarterbacks just aren't meant to lead a professional team, but that is something the 2024 Steelers will have to sort out.

Who will be the starting quarterback for the Steelers when the 2024 regular season begins? Comment below. 

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