The Pittsburgh Steelers are still pursuing free agent QB Aaron Rodgers and have been linked to Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins, each of whom would start if acquired, but Pittsburgh’s current starting quarterback is turning heads during OTAs. On The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised Mason Rudolph’s performance and leadership as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback.
“Absolutely. He’s out there, he’s running this team, really no competition behind him, Skylar Thompson has a very limited resume and of course rookie Will Howard is the only other guy who’s in camp right now. So it’s easy for Mason to step into that role naturally,” Fittipaldo said. “But he knows a lot of these guys on this football team, these guys have a lot of confidence in him. And yes, he looks good not only from a leadership standpoint, but he looks good spinning the ball out here too. I know it’s football in shorts, none of this really matters until we get to training camp. Things will probably change by then, but he looks really solid right now.”
As Fittipaldo said, it’s football in shorts so it’s hard to get too excited over how someone looks. But it’s at least positive that Rudolph not only looks good throwing the football but has the respect of his teammates and is taking on a leadership role. There’s no guarantee that the Steelers add a quarterback to supplant Rudolph even though they’d seemingly like to. If they don’t, Rudolph seems to be embracing his opportunity, and the locker room wouldn’t have an issue with him as the team’s starting quarterback.
Even without the pads on, quarterbacks can still not look good during OTAs, but that reportedly hasn’t been the case with Rudolph. It’s the first time in Rudolph’s Pittsburgh career where he’s truly been entrusted with a starting role during the offseason, and the confidence from his coaches and teammates seems to be lending itself to a confident, collected quarterback. By training camp, there could be another starter in the room, but if Rudolph can continue to play well, the Steelers should be happy knowing they have a reliable option as a backup.
And if Rudolph does wind up starting, the Steelers have a player they’re familiar with and who seems to be making strides on the field that could potentially lead the team to the playoffs. While it might not be the team’s first plan to start Mason Rudolph, it doesn’t sound like he’s overmatched right now. If that can continue, the Steelers may be in fine shape with or without Aaron Rodgers.