It only was 79 snaps over five games, a lot of it in “mop-up duty,” and even the relevant play came during a game of no importance to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But the performance of Mason Rudolph in 2020 provided the organization a level of comfort and confidence that he deserves to part of its quarterback depth chart.
To what degree remains to be seen, particularly with unanswered questions about the status of Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ plan for a path to competitiveness in the post-Big Ben era. Certainly, though, Rudolph earned the right to be no worse than the Steelers’ No. 2 QB heading into next season.
“I thought he displayed that he took a step in growth and development in his performance, even though it was a small sample size,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I would imagine that he is going to continue with that growth and development.”
Rudolph’s audition came during the regular-season finale Jan. 3 at Cleveland. His raw numbers were encouraging: 315 passing yards, 8.1 yards per attempt, two touchdowns. But his play during the higher-stakes situations of “possession downs” and in the second half while the Steelers were behind provided the best view of Rudolph.
On snaps of third- and fourth-and-10 or longer against the Browns, Rudolph was 8 for 10 for 140 yards with two touchdowns. And Rudolph had a 97.7 rating and 9.0 yards per attempt in the second half, including 7 of 14 for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
It was enough for even the 38-year-old Roethlisberger to proclaim Rudolph a future NFL starter.
“And I felt that way even before that game,” Roethlisberger said. “It didn’t take him going out there and playing well for me to feel that way.
“He is just showing the rest of the world what we have already seen here.”
Go up and get it‼️
📺 CBS 📱https://t.co/tI5aUTu7te | @Rudolph2Mason | @ChaseClaypool pic.twitter.com/PyvvptpI8j
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 3, 2021
The Steelers said they had a first-round grade on Rudolph when they took him in the third round of the 2018 draft. That’s not typical post-draft empty platitude, either. There were some mock drafts that had Rudolph going late in Round 1.
But five passers went in the first round of that quarterback-heavy draft, leaving few QB-needy teams left and allowing Rudolph to fall after a prolific career at Oklahoma State.
After a year as the Steelers third-string quarterback, Rudolph started eight games in 2019 and appeared in two others after Roethlisberger had elbow surgery. Rudolph showed flashes, going 5-3 as a starter, but he also at one point was benched in favor of undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges.
Here’s a quick look at some stats to see if they support Mason Rudolph’s assertion that it was the Nov. 13 loss at #Cleveland and the first half-plus of the Nov 23 game at #Cincinnati that torpedoed Rudolph’s final numbers in 2019.#Steelershttps://t.co/UW40kv24mR
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 17, 2020
But injury and suspension watered-down his receivers group. Rudolph at times was throwing to Johnny Holton, Ryan Switzer, Tevin Jones and Nick Vannett.
With an extra year of experience and NFL practices, plus a better supporting cast, Rudolph graded out much better in 2020.
Perhaps the most heartening aspect of Rudolph’s start earlier this month is it brought the big play back to the Steeler’s offense. Rudolph produced almost as many 40-plus yard passing plays (three) as Roethlisberger in 15 games (four).
Go up and get it‼️
📺 CBS 📱https://t.co/tI5aUTu7te | @Rudolph2Mason | @ChaseClaypool pic.twitter.com/PyvvptpI8j
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 3, 2021
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Rudolph’s average intended air yards (how far past the line of scrimmage a pass goes) of 11.0 and completed air yards of 9.5 in that game both would have led the NFL for the full season. They also dwarfed what the much-maligned, short passing-based Steelers offense produced under Roethlisberger (7.0 and 4.6, respectively, each the worst of any QB this season who made at least seven starts).
Still, if Big Ben returns, Rudolph remains a backup for the final year of his contract. But in the event that Roethlisberger retires, did Rudolph show enough to be the starter for 2021? Or even longer? Should the Steelers sign him to an extension to be a backup or as someone who can compete to start?
No one knows with certainty how it will play out. But it is certain Rudolph will be a part of that discussion.
“We will see where that leads us in terms of what he is able to provide us,” Tomlin said. “I’m excited that he was able to display that, and I think it is reasonable for me to expect or him to expect that general trajectory to continue.”
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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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