After moving up depth chart, backup QB Mason Rudolph working, waiting in case Steelers need him

A record 66 quarterbacks started at least one NFL game last season, an average of more than two per team.

Mason Rudolph was not one of them.

Through 14 weeks this year, 55 quarterbacks have made at least one start.

Again, Rudolph is not among that group.

Rudolph won’t start this weekend, either, when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. But entering the final stretch of the season, Rudolph is the closest he’s been to getting into a game — if not start one — since 2021 when he was Ben Roethlisberger’s backup.

For the second week in a row, Rudolph will serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Mitch Trubisky, who will make his second start in place of the injured Kenny Pickett.

While biding his time, he has watched other less-experienced quarterbacks get starts, names such as Tommy DeVito, Tyson Bagent, Jake Browning and Tim Boyle. Some have become sensations, while others have fizzled.

“There have been a lot and a lot of movement,” Rudolph said Tuesday after practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “There are guys who have seized the opportunity when it has come. And that means they were preparing and waiting for their opportunity, working while they wait.

“That’s all I’ve been trying to do.”

Rudolph has watched former teammate Joshua Dobbs get chances with Tennessee, Arizona and Minnesota, and that has been just in the past calendar year. Still, until Pickett went down with a high ankle sprain, Rudolph had spent all but one week the past two seasons as the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart. The exception was at Carolina last season when Pickett sat out because of a concussion and Trubisky started, moving Rudolph up to No. 2.

This year, with the NFL changing rules to allow for an emergency quarterback to dress, Rudolph at least has had a mathematical chance of getting into a game. And until Pickett returns, Rudolph is an injury or ineffective performance by Trubisky away from getting his shot under center.

“I’d be lying if I said (my approach) hasn’t changed at all,” Rudolph said. “When you know as a ‘3’ you can only play due to an emergency injury, which statistics say is a pretty low chance of happening, now knowing you are one play away, does it create a little more urgency? Yes, and it’s more exciting.

“I love to play football. You love to be on a team and put your hand in the pile, but you also love to play, and that’s a little more real this week.”

The Steelers’ first game without Pickett came on a short work week, meaning neither Trubisky nor Rudolph got an abundance of snaps in preparation for the New England Patriots. And Trubisky struggled early as the Steelers fell behind and never caught up in a 21-18 loss at Acrisure Stadium.

With the Steelers being back on a normal practice routine, Trubisky is looking forward to a second chance to start.

“It should help, for sure,” Trubisky said. “We need the reps. I need the reps. It allows me to continue to help get comfortable in the offense and work on my timing with these guys and operating this offense. A full week is going to be helpful.”

Coach Mike Tomlin said he never contemplated switching from Trubisky to Rudolph against the Patriots, not even when Trubisky completed just 6 of 11 passes for 61 yards in the first half. He threw an interception that led to a Patriots touchdown and an 11-point deficit, but he also threw a touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson that trimmed the Patriots’ lead to 21-10 before the break.

It was during that opening half that fans briefly chanted Rudolph’s name. It was a strange occurrence considering he hardly was beloved when he was Roethlisberger’s backup.

“I’ve been on both sides of that,” Rudolph said. “You can’t let yourself get caught up in that. Then, you lose focus, and it affects your mental state. Obviously, it’s nice to be liked and we have passionate fans, but you can’t let that enter your mind for a second.”

At least publicly, Rudolph hasn’t expressed frustration with his role. He returned to the team on a one-year contract in the offseason knowing he would be the No. 3 quarterback. And so he has waited for his chance to get into a meaningful game for the first time since he mopped up a late-season loss in Kansas City two years ago.

“Patience is a fruit of the spirit,” he said. “I’ve been practicing patience for a long time. It doesn’t matter if you don’t take the opportunity when it comes to you and seize it. If it comes, great. If not, I’m going to keep working.”