We’re talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers. We’re talking about future Hall of Fame fullback Ben Roethlisberger. We’re talking about a $ 41 million cap here.
It is no wonder, then, that the dialogue about Roethlisberger’s future in Pittsburgh received so much attention. There is not much more to come down to in terms of impact.
Unless you are Mason Rudolph.
Yes, his future is very much tied to what happens to Roethlisberger. Other than confirming his relationship with Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard, we have yet to hear anything from Rudolph about this off-season.
This is smart. It’s not like he’s influencing to claim a trade like some of the other quarterbacks who have made this offseason wave.
He can request one, I think. And maybe the Steelers would allow it. But I do not know why they would feel compelled to do so. Nor would I think that such a move would be so beneficial to Rudolph.
I can not think of a situation where he could go somewhere and be immediately identified as something better than a no. 2-back player not. So it’s probably better to stay with the system he knows than to push into another system with free agencies threatening after the ’21 season.
Unless Rudolph really sees a threat in the newly acquired Dwayne Haskins who is going to pass him in the pick order. Then this is a very different discussion.
Again, not that I think he could do much about it.
From what I could pick up, Rudolph respects Roethlisberger’s legacy and his desire to play another year. He also understands the Steelers’ tendency to make that happen.
But from a competitive point of view, Rudolph had to internally hope that Roethlisberger would retire. Or for the Steelers to cut him. Not just because he would be the first place to be the replacement for 2021. He would also audition for this franchise and the rest of the NFL for a new contract for 2022.
That said, Rudolph would still be playing with the same faint running game, fall-lucky wide receivers and the rebuilt attacking line that Roethlisberger is going to get.
No easy task for a Super Bowl vet like Roethlisberger. Imagine what it would be like for a man who is 26 years old with only nine games going on by the 2021 season.
However, it is clear that Rudolph would rather play than not this fall. He got off to a good start at the end of the regular season last year against the Cleveland Browns (22 for 38, 315 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). And he will want to expand his game band for prospective bidders in free agencies as a way to make people forget about the problems he saw as a first-time beginner in 2019.
“I think Mason wants to prove who he is,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert admitted on February 17. ‘I know he wants to play more … I know Mason wants to come out and prove he can play at this level. . ”
From everything I heard, Rudolph really enjoyed having a quarterback coach last year. And he seems to have bought in a bit with Matt Canada’s ideas, which would be an advantage now that Canada has been promoted to an offensive coordinator.
This does not indicate that Rudolph will remain in Pittsburgh in 2022 as a backup for a 2022 free agent as a top quarterback. Nor do I suggest that Rudolph would blindly sign an extension before this year, regardless of the depth map in Pittsburgh for ’22 ‘. It is only to suggest that there is reason to expect some growth in Rudolph’s play if the opportunity were to provide ’21 ‘.
The larger discussion, however, is not so much about Rudolph’s view of what is happening to the Steelers. It’s more about how the Steelers view him.
The game he started (against Cleveland) was probably the best game he played for us. “Cleveland was desperate to win,” Colbert said. ‘Hopefully we see Mason take a few more steps in whatever role he plays or whatever playing time he gets, whether it’s preseason or regular season. But it was encouraging to see him in the Cleveland game. ”
Encourage enough to give him the keys to the offense and let him take over for Roethlisberger this year? Encouraging enough to push their chips in the middle of the table and utilize their projections for Rudolph when they drafted him in the third round of 2018 with an alleged first-round degree?
No. Otherwise they are not going to do a “capology” through quantum physics to make Roethlisberger’s contract work. And if Roethlisberger returns, how (without injury) is Rudolph supposed to show his true self to the rest of the National Football League?
Whether it was waiting in the wings during the Roethlisberger situation, reacting to the Myles Garrett fiasco or enduring the ups and downs of 2019, Rudolph has never tried to push out the noise.
But if Roethlisberger is to be hurt or get a bench in 2021, Rudolph’s achievements on the field must speak as loudly as possible. Because this is perhaps his only chance to really be heard.
Tim Benz is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets can be re-posted. Unless otherwise stated, all emails are subject to publication.
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