Steelers 2-a-days: Ben Roethlisberger is back at 38, but is Mason Rudolph a legit No. 2?
Editor’s note: Leading up to a unique Pittsburgh Steelers training camp staged at Heinz Field this year, the Tribune-Review will be running through the team’s 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2020 season. The breakdown will go through the roster, in mostly alphabetical order, two per day, between June 9 and July 23, a day originally planned to be reporting day for players to camp. (Contract data courtesy spotrac.com)
Feels good to be back out there with my guys! @TeamJuJu @JamesConner_ @Switz pic.twitter.com/hAlOwr7Ias
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) May 18, 2020
QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER
Experience: 17th season
Contract status: $23.75 million cap hit in 2020, signed through 2021
2020 outlook: After missing 15 games because of injury over his first 15 NFL seasons, Roethlisberger nearly matched that in 2019 when he sat out the final 14 games because of elbow surgery. In light of the rehab associated with that recovery and recognizing he turned 38 in March, there are legitimate questions about whether Roethlisberger still can be an elite quarterback. In the past, he has said his goal was to match Terry Bradshaw in winning four Super Bowls. The clock is ticking for the future Hall of Famer.
Bottom line: The coronavirus-affected offseason has left the condition of Roethlisberger’s throwing arm a mystery. The Steelers are saying all the right things and insist his rehab has gone well and he can be the same old Big Ben — or even better, by some accounts. But no one outside the organization has seen him throw, aside from some quick video clips released on social media. The fortunes of all NFL teams are tied closely to their franchise quarterbacks, and the Steelers learned that last year as much as anyone. How Roethlisberger performs in 2020 could determine longer-term plans for his career from his side and that of the Steelers. With a $41.25 million cap hit next season, an extension is coming in 2021 — unless a retirement is.
QB MASON RUDOLPH
Experience: 3rd season
Contract status: $1.07 million cap hit in 2020, signed through 2021
2020 outlook: Rudolph entered last year’s camp as a No. 3 QB, and Roethlisberger’s misfortune created an opportunity for him to prove whether he was a legitimate NFL starter or the Steelers’ franchise quarterback of the future. While Rudolph enters this camp as the No. 2, he is viewed more skeptically as Roethlisberger’s successor. Rudolph’s 10-game audition last season wasn’t awful, but it was far from a success.
Bottom line: Rudolph’s 2019 stats (82.0 rating) weren’t terrible. But the offense’s production under his guidance (seven touchdowns over the final seven games he played) was. If all goes as planned with Roethlisberger’s health, Rudolph won’t get any chance to show his worth this season. That adds to the difficulty the Steelers face in charting their post-Ben future. Between a presumed lack of playing time and based on his performance last season, Rudolph seems unlikely to be the Steelers’ next franchise quarterback. But will they want him as a backup? Will he at least get a chance? And that doesn’t even take into account the possibility Roethlisberger could play a few more seasons. In short, much remains to be determined regarding Rudolph’s future. A good first step would be outshining Devlin Hodges and establishing a firm grasp of the backup job.
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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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