Diontae Johnson sees ‘a lot’ of upside in Mason Rudolph as next Steelers QB
Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers season is over, a long offseason of debate is sure to ensue regarding the identity of their next franchise quarterback.
The player who arguably has the most at stake in that decision let it known whom he supports.
“I’m pulling for (Mason Rudolph),” Diontae Johnson said Monday,
Rudolph is under contract with the Steelers for next season, his fifth with the team and in the NFL. He’s been the primary backup last past three seasons to Ben Roethlisberger, who all but assuredly played his final game after 18 seasons in a 42-21 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins are at present the only quarterbacks under contractual control for the Steelers in 2022. The team could elect to sign a free agent, trade for a veteran or draft a quarterback, but Johnson — the Steelers’ No. 1 wide receiver — said he sees “a lot” of upside in Rudolph.
“Mason is a great player, great quarterback,” Johnson said Monday in a video conference call with media. “He’s smart. Playing with him my rookie year, he’s shown he can win us games. In those tough moments, too, he can make plays. He’s relaxed. And at times on the sideline this year, he was always on it, telling us what to look for, what coverages they mostly were in. Just throwing out plays we could use to beat certain coverages and whatnot.
“So, he’s a great player. I’m sure he’s going to work his tail off to compete for the starting job.”
Johnson had 59 catches for 680 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie that year, and since he entered the league leads the Steelers in receptions (254) and receiving yards (2,764). He finished tied for fifth in the NFL with 107 catches.
A third-round pick in 2018, Rudolph has made 10 NFL starts (5-4-1 record), including one each of the past two seasons. He made eight starts in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger needed season-ending elbow surgery.
The Steelers will have the No. 20 overall pick in the April draft.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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