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There were only 79 snaps in five games, many of them in “cleanliness duty”, and even the relevant play came during a game of no importance to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But Mason Rudolph’s performance in 2020 gave the organization the level of comfort and confidence it deserves in part from its quarterback depth chart.
How much remains to be seen, particularly with unanswered questions about Ben Roethlisberger’s status and the Steelers’ plan for a path to competitiveness in the post-Big Ben era. Certainly, however, Rudolph earned the right to be no worse than the Steelers’ 2nd QB going into the next season.
“I thought he showed that he took a step in the growth and development of his performance, even though it was a small sample,” said coach Mike Tomlin. “I imagine that it will continue with this growth and development.”
Rudolph’s audition took place during the end of the regular season on January 3 in Cleveland. His gross numbers were encouraging: 315 passing yards, 8.1 yards per attempt, two touchdowns. But his play during the high-stakes “low possession” situations and in the second half, while the Steelers were behind, provided Rudolph’s best view.
In third and fourth snaps and 10 or more against the Browns, Rudolph made 8 out of 10 for 140 yards with two touchdowns. And Rudolph had a score of 97.7 and 9.0 yards per attempt in the second half, including 7 from 14 to 125 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth period.
It was enough even for 38-year-old Roethlisberger to proclaim Rudolph a future NFL holder.
“And I felt that way even before that game,” said Roethlisberger. “It didn’t take long for him to go there and play well for me to feel that way.
“He’s just showing the rest of the world what we’ve already seen here.”
Go up and get‼ ️
📺 CBS 📱https: //t.co/tI5aUTu7te | @ Rudolph2Mason | @ChaseClaypool pic.twitter.com/PyvvptpI8j
– Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 3, 2021
The Steelers said they had a note in the first round about Rudolph when they caught him in the third round of the 2018 draft. This is also not the commonplace of the post-draft void. There were some dummy drafts that left Rudolph at the end of the first round.
But five passers made it to the first round of that heavy quarterback draft, leaving few teams in need of QB and allowing Rudolph to fall after a prolific career in Oklahoma.
After a year as the quarterback for the Steelers’ third straight, Rudolph started eight games in 2019 and appeared in two more after Roethlisberger had elbow surgery. Rudolph showed flashes, going 5-3 as a starter, but he was also replaced by one point in favor of newcomer Devlin Hodges.
Here is a quick look at some statistics to see if they support Mason Rudolph’s claim that it was the November 13 defeat in #Cleveland and the first half of the November 23 game in #Cincinnati who torpedoed Rudolph’s final numbers in 2019.# Thieveshttps://t.co/UW40kv24mR
– Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 17, 2020
But injury and suspension diluted its group of receptors. Rudolph was sometimes playing for Johnny Holton, Ryan Switzer, Tevin Jones and Nick Vannett.
With an extra year of NFL experience and practice, and a better support cast, Rudolph qualified much better in 2020.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Rudolph’s start earlier this month is the big move back to Steeler’s attack. Rudolph produced almost as many passes over 40 yards (three) as Roethlisberger in 15 games (four).
Go up and get‼ ️
📺 CBS 📱https: //t.co/tI5aUTu7te | @ Rudolph2Mason | @ChaseClaypool pic.twitter.com/PyvvptpI8j
– Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 3, 2021
According to the NFL Next Gen Stats, Rudolph’s intended air yard average (as far as the pass line of scrimmage goes) of 11.0 and full aerial yards of 9.5 in that game, both would have led the NFL by all season. They also overshadowed the much-maligned Steelers attack based on short passes produced under Roethlisberger (7.0 and 4.6, respectively, each the worst of any QB this season that made at least seven games).
Even so, if Big Ben returns, Rudolph will remain on reserve for the last year of his contract. But in the event that Roethlisberger retires, did Rudolph show enough to be the starter in 2021? Or even more? Should Steelers hire you for an extension to be a reserve or as someone who can compete to start?
Nobody knows for sure how it will play out. But it is certain that Rudolph will be part of that discussion.
“We will see where it takes us in terms of what it is capable of providing us with,” said Tomlin. “I am excited that he was able to show this, and I think it is reasonable for me or him to expect this overall trajectory to continue.”
Chris Adamski is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Chris by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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Sports | Steelers / NFL