The Pittsburgh Steelers had another disappointing season after failing to reach the playoffs. Though they won six of their last seven games, a 9-8 record wasn’t enough to clinch a Wild Card ticket in the AFC. This was the first year after Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement.
Mitch Trubisky began as the starter, but, prior to Week 5, head coach Mike Tomlin made the call thousands of fans were expecting. Rookie Kenny Pickett was in charge. For Tomlin, the streak of no losing seasons continued with sixteen. However, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in the last six years. That’s not a great standard for a franchise with six Super Bowls.
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So, towards next season, Kenny Pickett is the front-runner. However, in case of an emergency, they would not only need Mitch Trubisky, but maybe a very well known face.
Who will be the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023?
According to many reports from Pittsburgh, Mason Rudolph will be back with the Steelers, but, if that deal is signed, the conditions for the quarterback would be clear. No.3 in the depth chart behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky.
This is a surprising turn of events as Mason Rudolph had constantly expressed his frustration for not having a real chance at being the starter. However, when he tested the market, no one took him. There were some rumors about the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, but no deal.
Rudolph was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Mike Tomlin’s team even made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to go up and get him. That’s because many scouts within the organization believed he had first-round potential.
So, the plan was to develop Mason Rudolph until Ben Roethlisberger decided to retire. When Big Ben got injured in the 2019 season, Rudolph alternated chances as starter with Duck Hodges, but never really earned the trust of Mike Tomlin. After his first four-year contract, considering he was a solid backup, Rudolph signed a new one year deal.
Then, when the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp began in 2022, Mason Rudolph was promised by Mike Tomlin a fair chance to compete for the starting job with Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. Rudolph had the best quarterback performances during the preseason, but, Tomlin gave the starting job to Mitch Trubisky.
Furthermore, when Mitch Trubisky failed as starter, Kenny Pickett got the call. In that moment, Mason Rudolph wasn’t even considered to climb to the No.2 spot in the depth chart. So, he saw most of the games in the stands without being activated. Again, Rudolph had no chance to compete.
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Now, following five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mason Rudolph would be back as the opportunity didn’t appear elsewhere. Maybe, in an emergency situation, Rudolph will have a chance to prove all the critics were wrong about him after a very solid career at Oklahoma State.
