Tim Benz: If Steelers fans are giving Dwayne Haskins a chance to improve, they should give Mason Rudolph the same shot

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin often says that his team “has no time for hypothetical conversations.”

Former head coach Bill Cowher famously stated his disdain for the “what if” game.

Well, I have a disdain for the annual fourth preseason game of the NFL season. Yet the Steelers are still playing that one despite my protests to the contrary. So I’m going to indulge myself with a good ol’ “what if” game of my own.

Hopefully, you’ll play along.

What if I jump in my time machine and travel back to, let’s say, sometime between the end of that horrible wild card loss to the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 5 and Dwayne Haskins’ signing on Jan. 21?

Once we get there, I’m going to pull out a stat sheet that holds nothing but Mason Rudolph’s 2021 preseason numbers.

They are 27 of 36 (75%) for 299 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions for a passer rating of 99.2.

At the time — pre-Haskins — would you have been satisfied with that? Would you have been encouraged that he was developing and improving? That he was showing signs of at least being a capable quarterback when called upon?

Yeah. Me, too.

But Haskins’ arrival and ensuing solid preseason play (28-42, 66.7%, 1 TD, 0 INT, 92.5) has many Steelers fans salivating about his future and seemingly dismissive of any strides Rudolph may have made.

It’s to the point where the “Dwayne Train” hype has gotten so thick that Steelers fans are calling for Rudolph to be passed on the depth chart, traded or cut.

I would dangle "NO TD" Rudolf & Ebron for draft picks

— John Steiner (@JohnStein44) August 22, 2021

Very descent back up
We just have Haskins who’s been good and Rudolph who has a bad contract so we can’t really get rid of him
Dobbs bring some athleticism too

— ⚫️Louis???? (@QuebecSteelers) August 22, 2021

Dwayne Haskins will be the back up QB, Mason Rudolph will be a surprise cut.

— Mackenzie Richardson (@Mac_Richardson) August 22, 2021

Haskins needs to be the back up QB, no Rudolph again please.

— ZeZo. (@LordeusMaximus) August 22, 2021

I understand the excitement that people have about Haskins. The belief is that he has a higher ceiling, a better pedigree and a stronger arm than Rudolph. He’s a guy that just happened to wash out in a bad situation in Washington. But with maturity and seasoning, he’ll be better than Rudolph when the Steelers need him.

That may all be true.

It also may be true that all the positives we’ve seen from Haskins so far in the preseason vanish when he has to play in a regular-season game against a first-team defense.

For those who want to see Haskins surpass Rudolph on the depth chart and perhaps even be groomed as Ben Roethlisberger’s successor, the easy retort is, “Well, how has it looked when Mason Rudolph has played in games that count?”

The answer is, mixed at best. During the eight games Rudolph started in place of Roethlisberger during the 2019 season, the team went 5-3. Overall, in his career, Rudolph has now played in 15 games. He’s 201 of 326 (61.7%) for 2,089 yards with 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, 16 sacks, 4 fumbles and an 82.7 rating.

Yes. It’s fair to wonder if Haskins can do better than that. If the Steelers deem that he can, they should make him the top backup to Roethlisberger.

But they should keep Rudolph as the third quarterback in case Haskins fails. In case Haskins isn’t really any better than the guy who bombed in Washington.

What are you going to get for Rudolph anyway? A mid- to late-round pick next year?

I’d rather have the security of Rudolph being an option to Haskins. Especially since Rudolph will only count $2.1 million against the cap and will only free up $920,000 if he’s traded (according to OverTheCap.com).

And because Rudolph is improving. As his preseason indicates. As his 315 yards and two touchdowns against Cleveland in the 2020 regular-season finale indicate.

“I don’t really put a lot of emphasis into a depth chart,” Rudolph said after Saturday night’s preseason 26-20 win over the Detroit Lions. “I am just trying to better myself each and every day. We’ve got four opportunities to play in preseason games and I am competing against myself and everyone else. I am just trying to improve my game every single day.”

Rudolph doesn’t appear to be shrinking from the competition with Haskins.

“The competition is never going to end,” Rudolph said. “Not with yourself or guys on the team.”

The biggest complaint from Steelers fans about drives when Rudolph has been under center this preseason is that they have stalled in the red zone and that the offense has failed to come away with any touchdowns with him at the helm.

A fair critique. But one Rudolph insists can be improved.

“I don’t think it’s moving too quickly. We had some good calls,” Rudolph said of three red-zone series that ended in short field goals Saturday. “I could’ve put the ball a tick outside to JuJu (Smith-Schuster). I think he had a chance to make a play. Just a little outside to James (Washington) on his fade there but it’s a matter of a game of inches. We’ll keep working to connect on those balls.”

There seems to be an increasing sentiment from fans that if Roethlisberger needs a mid-game injury replacement or just a one-game respite, it’d be safer to go with Rudolph. But if Roethlisberger should go out for multiple games, then put Haskins in to see what he has and only go to Rudolph if Haskins performs poorly.

I wouldn’t do that, even if the Steelers might. So long as the playoffs are up for grabs, the Steelers should play whoever they think is better at that moment.

Right now, that very well may be Haskins. Something we won’t know until we see him play in a regular season game in a Steelers uniform.

But if Haskins is allowed to improve in the eyes of Steelers fans, then Rudolph should be afforded the same level of faith.

Unfortunately, that’s not how the narrative is going. It’s easier to spin the story that Haskins escaped chaos in Washington’s organization. That he has been saved by his move to our fair city, and he’s had the holy blessing of getting Black and Gold pixie dust sprinkled on his head.

Sure. Fans should be excited about what Haskins may become. But they should at least allow Rudolph the opportunity to be what they all hoped he’d be when he was drafted in 2018.

A benefit of the doubt he should be afforded every bit as much as his newly hired competition.