This offseason has featured no shortage of hype for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Viewed as one of the more polarizing teams in the NFL, that’s a direct byproduct of signing one of football’s more polarizing players to play quarterback. The club’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, however, saw Aaron Rodgers and a few others sit out.
Instead, it was the Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson show in what wound up being a 31-25 victory. Mike Tomlin’s crew needed every bit of production it got, especially from a familiar face to open the game.
Following the win, Rudolph gave a glowing review of being back with the organization.
Mason Rudolph Thrilled to Play for Steelers Again
Rudolph couldn’t be more excited to be on the Steelers again. Speaking to the media on Saturday night, he said there’s an irreplaceable quality about these moments.
“Really cool, really fun,” Rudolph said. “Good to be back in the Black and Gold, man. A lot of friends, a lot of dear, dear friends and coaches that I’ve spent a lot of time with. There’s just a level of comfortability there that you can’t really replace.”
It’s entirely understandable that Rudolph is excited. After all, Pittsburgh was all he knew in his NFL life for quite some time. The former Oklahoma standout was selected by the Steelers back in 2019, going 76th overall. From then on, he started 13 games and appeared in eight more until the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Last year, he took a leap of faith and signed with the Tennessee Titans. That decision yielded mixed results.
For the first time since his rookie year, Rudolph saw extended action during the regular season. Unfortunately, his production wasn’t up to snuff. On 228 pass attempts, he posted an 80.1 passer rating with 9 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. According to rbsdm.com, he ranked 23rd in EPA/play among 42 signal-callers with at least 200 logged plays.
Knowing the writing was on the wall for his chances as a starter, Rudolph returned to the Steelers on a two-year deal. It’s a low-risk move for both sides as he enters his age-30 season and the organization tries to go all-in with Rodgers right now. The blend of familiarity and opportunity seemingly appealed to Rudolph a lot.
In other words, it feels good to be home.
Rudolph & Pittsburgh Offense Came Out Firing Against Jaguars
To say Rudolph helped set the tone on Saturday would be an understatement. After Jacksonville’s first-team offense notched a field goal, Pittsburgh’s group responded with a touchdown drive. Rudolph executed the offense with precision, helping break off chunk yardage plays of 19 yards to wideout Roman Wilson, 15 to receiver Scotty Miller and a 19-yard touchdown to tight end Darnell Washington.
It was a strong showing for the de facto first-stringers. While Rodgers and receiver DK Metcalf didn’t get to flex their muscles, that opening possession remained inspiring. Rudolph credits the fast start to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and his playmakers.
“Arthur did a good job of calling some aggressive shots over the middle the first couple of plays in the first drive,” Rudolph said. “Roman Wilson made a really nice catch to kind of get us going. It was fun.”
The next series wasn’t as fortunate in result. Rudolph managed to complete a pair of passes, but a later sack put the Steelers behind the sticks. An incompletion and a six-yard gain ensued, resulting in a punt. Rudolph finished the game 9-of-10 for 84 yards and the aforementioned score, giving way to Thompson the rest of the way.
In an ideal scenario, the only time the Steelers see Rudolph during the regular season is to end blowouts or play in Week 18 with playoff seeding already decided. He knows as well as anyone, though, that the NFL isn’t perfect.
But being back in Pittsburgh is a step closer to that.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mason Rudolph Delivers Strong Assessment of Return to Steelers appeared first on Heavy Sports.