Mason Rudolph Deserves Better From Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are stringing Mason Rudolph along without a plan and he deserves better.

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph chooses his words carefully whenever he faces the media these days.

While rookie Kenny Pickett raced past him in reps during training camp, Rudolph was left as the third-stringer during a "quarterback competition." The signals were clear when the team selected two quarterbacks during last spring's draft and the message could not be more clear now, as trade rumors swirl - the Steelers do not want him. 

Whether they say it with his snap count or through trade talks with other teams, the Steelers are making it clear that Rudolph is not a part of their future. 

"I try to say nothing surprises me anymore," Rudolph said during the preseason. "But I think I said this previously in camp - I would have enjoyed taking more first-team reps but that didn't happen and I think I made the most of the reps I did get. That's all you can do."

The Steelers were under no obligation to give him first-team reps or name him the starter just because he wants to play. They have to make moves that help the entire franchise. But by Rudolph's own account, the coaching staff did not communicate with him and what they want is unclear. 

"We never get any heads up like 'Hey, this is what's going to happen on August 15th'," Rudolph said. "So it may not have surprised [Canada] because he knew the plan. But I think it's about how you react to the hand you've been dealt and how you overcome adversity. I think I've done that well."

Rudolph has been the ultimate professional during this competition because he has to. Maybe the cliches that he threw around during training camp press conferences are genuine and he is truly not tuned into trade rumors, but it wouldn't be surprising if he actually is harboring some ill feelings. But he cannot, of course, share them. Rudolph is expected to show loyalty to a team that won't return the favor and act in their best interest while his own is ignored. 

Rudolph may not be a great fit for where the Steelers are at now. He is certainly a pocket passer and given the offensive line's struggles throughout the past two years, he would have likely been the victim of frequent pressures. It makes perfect sense why they would prefer to focus on Pickett's development and getting presumed Mitch Trubisky acclimated to the new offense. 

But they don't need to string Rudolph along and keep a player that's started in the NFL - and done so relatively successfully - tethered to a dead-end situation. The least the Steelers can do for a player like Rudolph, who's done everything they've asked of him but doesn't fit in with their future - is let him go and give him a chance at kickstarting his career. 

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