Mason Rudolph's story of perseverance takes a turn as the Steelers put their season in his hands

Updated Dec. 19, 2023 6:01 p.m. ET

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For a guy who's played in all of 18 games across six seasons, Mason Rudolph has been through a lot.

Like, a lot a lot.

A franchise quarterback who didn't exactly welcome him to the Pittsburgh Steelers with open arms after the club selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft. Being caught in the middle of an ugly helmet-swinging incident with Cleveland's Myles Garrett in 2019 that remains one of the darkest chapters in recent NFL history.

Getting benched for an undrafted rookie free agent. Finishing a distant third in a three-man race to be Ben Roethlisberger's replacement after Roethlisberger retired two years ago.

There have been indignities both large (Garrett alleged Rudolph's use of a racial slur sparked the brawl with the Browns, a charge of which there remains no proof) and small (the team had to re-release the depth chart ahead of the 2022 season opener when Rudolph was mistakenly listed as the backup behind Mitch Trubisky when the role had actually been given to Pickett).

Yet through it all, Rudolph has kept coming to work. Kept his head down. Kept trying to take every mental rep possible when the physical ones were hard to come by, even when the weeks would pass and he would find himself either inactive or — for most of this season — on the sideline as the emergency quarterback well aware the odds of actually getting in the game were virtually nonexistent.

Yes, there were plenty of times when Rudolph wondered if he was really “earning” his paycheck, a common thought for guys buried on the depth chart, no matter their position.

That won't be an issue on Saturday against Cincinnati when the Steelers (7-7) will likely place their playoff fate in the hands of a player who has hung in there when so many would not.

If Pickett's surgically repaired right ankle isn't ready and with the offense in need of something — anything at this point — to provide a spark, Rudolph will make his first start in more than two years, an opportunity that is a testament to Rudolph's relentless professionalism and Pittsburgh's scattershot season.

“He’s tough-minded,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s got a lot of confidence in himself. He’s a competitor.”

He's had to be.

Rudolph went 5-3 as a starter in 2019 while Roethlisberger recovered from right elbow surgery, throwing for 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions but struggled with consistency. Tomlin sat him in favor of Devlin “Duck” Hodges at one point and his return to the lineup included his now infamous run-in with Garrett.

“I think about some of the things that happened in 19 and, uh, it’s quite a lot,” Rudolph said. “But I’m grateful for that. I think it’s made me a better man and a better leader, and it makes you more battle-tested.”

Something the Steelers could use during a three-game skid that's seen their once-promising playoff prospects crumble thanks in large part to an offense that can't score points or move the ball no matter who is under center.

Enter Rudolph, who has said and done all the right things while taking on a thankless and anonymous role. His teammates noticed.

“It’s probably tough on him, like just seeing him go through that every day, you know, not seeing his head down, just working, coming to work, still talking to everybody," wide receiver Diontae Johnson said. "Like that makes me keep going too.' So it’s like, ‘Man, if he can do it, I could do it.’”

It wasn't the career Rudolph envisioned when the Steelers drafted him in the third round in 2018. The pick raised a few eyebrows — Roethlisberger's most of all — but then-general manager Kevin Colbert stressed the team had the former Oklahoma State star graded as a first-rounder.

It was meant as a compliment. In some ways, it's been an anchor.

For whatever reason, Rudolph has remained a fixture on the sideline rather than the field for most of the past four years. He was a free agent last spring before opting to come back to Pittsburgh on a one-year guaranteed deal in which he knew he was the quarterback of last resort.

Well, the last resort is here. Not just for Pittsburgh's season, but perhaps for whatever options — be it with the Steelers or elsewhere — Rudolph may have in free agency.

Not that he wants to talk about it. He spoke in a quiet, nearly subdued tone on Tuesday. It's strange to have teammates look up to you when all you've done is the job you agreed to do.

Of course, he wants to play more often. There are days when he's wondered if he's earned his paycheck, the eternal plight of third-stringers everywhere.

That won't be the case on Saturday, provided Pickett doesn't somehow make it back onto the field less than three weeks removed from “tightrope” surgery. Pickett was limited on Tuesday and Tomlin said he will keep the door “ajar” for his second-year starter until the last minute if required.

It sets the stage possibly for one last slight against a player who has endured plenty of them through the years. Yet that is out of his control. At the moment he has “the ball,” as Tomlin put it.

Maybe he'll have it on Saturday afternoon with Pittsburgh's season on the line. Maybe he'll be holding a clipboard. That is out of his control.

Then again, in the year of the backup quarterback, who knows? Maybe there's a chance Rudolph gets a little of the “football justice” his coach talks about so fondly.

The 28-year-old has been through enough that it might be time for a little to come his way, provided one very important caveat.

“It’s only going to be inspirational if we win right?”

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