Former Steelers QB Mason Rudolph gets a bad rap in writer’s attempt to prop up new QB room

While it may have been months ago at this point, people seem to forget what Mason Rudolph did for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

At 7-7 and with their playoff hopes disappearing before their eyes after a three game skid, Rudolph was inserted into the starting lineup, where he won three straight games and led the team to a wildcard berth.

Yet in their attempt to prop up Pittsburgh's new QB room, Bleacher Report made it seem as if Rudolph was a throwaway.

Rudolph Severely Hampered Pittsburgh?

The Pittsburgh Steelers would be dramatically higher on this list after acquiring Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to replace Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph at quarterback if head coach Mike Tomlin wasn't a wizard and somehow found ways to will his team to a winning record every season.

Make no mistake, the Steelers are dramatically better behind center, even with question marks swirling around both Wilson and Fields.

Pickett and Rudolph severely hampered Pittsburgh's offense to the point where the unit finished bottom three in passing touchdowns (and four of those 13 came from Mitchell Trubisky). - Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report

Well, I don't know what Sobleski views as hampered, but he and I must have different definitions. Rudolph played the best ball of his career during that three-game stretch. He was poised, determined in his progressions, and tough as nails as he sat back and delivered both bombs and passes over the middle.

But if you think the eye test isn't enough, we can take a look at the numbers.

Rudolph completed a ridiculous, 74.3% of his passes, had a 3-0 TD to INT ratio, and generated a 118 passer rating.

So look, no one is saying Rudolph should be the starting QB in Pittsburgh or for any other franchise for that matter. But there is the reason why he was swooped up so fast in free agency , and to group him into the QB situation that caused the skid in the first place is wrong and not fair to what he did for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. That was largely the doing of Mitch Trubiusky, who was cut the day after the Super Bowl .

But hey, hampering might mean something else, it just isn't the definition that I was taught growing up in elementary school.