No one knows, including the quarterback himself, if Ben Roethlisberger will be able to return to form after a devasting elbow injury in Week 2 of last season.
For the first time since Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004, the organization (and its fans) is grappling with the unknown. It leaves fans questioning whether Mason Rudolph will have what it takes to become the Steelers eventual franchise QB.
We got our first glimpse of Rudolph after Roethlisberger exited the game versus Seattle in September. Coming off the bench to play in one’s first regular-season pro game is never easy, but Rudolph took the Steelers downfield twice for scores and nearly led them to a win.
Though it was a Steelers loss — both for their season and Roethlisberger’s — Rudolph’s performance wasn’t devastating.
Until Cleveland.
After a catastrophic four-interception game versus the Browns that ended with the notorious incident involving defensive end Myles Garrett, Rudolph was benched the following week leading up to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rudolph warmed the bench the next three games before getting another shot at redemption in Week 16. Replacing a struggling Devlin Hodges, Rudolph led the Steelers to a field goal and TD in the final minutes of the first half and completed 14 of 20 passes for 129 yards and a score.
In the third quarter, Rudolph took a hard tackle for a loss and had to exit the game due to a shoulder injury — one that would prove to be season-ending.
Rudolph’s 10 games played resulted in a 5-5 record. He completed 62 percent of his passes on 13 TDs and nine interceptions.
At the close of the 2019 season, Pittsburgh’s front office publicly supported the idea of Rudolph being Roethlisberger’s backup. Coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert, and Steelers president Art Rooney II all used the word “comfortable” in their statements about Rudolph’s position on the 2020 depth chart.
Comfortable isn’t the way someone should feel about a franchise QB. A backup, sure. But not the future.