According to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph most likely will not be on the 53 man roster at the start of the season. Something that became evident after the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett(20th) and Chris Oladokun(241st) picks overall.
I mean let’s face it, we all saw this coming, it’s just that Rudolph just doesn’t fit the Pittsburgh mold. But even Mitch Trubisky, who was signed by the Steelers in the offseason as the apparent front-runner as the starter will have to battle for that spot.
“Regardless what role Pickett will eventually assume in the offense, the reality is his arrival puts Trubisky in an awkward, tenuous position,” Dulac said on Sunday. “Six weeks ago, Trubisky’s signing in free agency was met with much hope and anticipation — a former No. 2 overall pick looking to pull a Ryan Tannehill-like resurrection with the Steelers. Now, after one bad game, maybe even just one interception, all he will hear is the fans crying for Pickett. The same is true for Rudolph, though he is likely to be traded before the season rather than be the starter.”
Now retired General Manager, Kevin Colbert expressed his semi-faith in Mason Rudolph after the retirement of proverbial Hall of Fame quarterback “Big” Ben Roethlisberger. But the signing of the former Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, Trubisky showed he was not all that confident as he made it out to be.
“If we started a season today, Mason would be our starter,” said Colbert. “He’s 5-4-1 as a starter. We’re excited to see what’s next for Mason.”
“We know we’re going to add to the position, I can’t tell you how at this point. We will go to camp with four. If we had to start today with Mason as our starter, let’s go. We’ll try to build the best team around him.”
Mason is due to earn just over $3 million this season. But, if Pittsburgh were to cut Rudolph , it would only result in a dead money cap hit of just over $1 million. Which means the Steelers could trade or release him with little damage to the salary cap.
Look at it this way..if Mason Rudolph completely outshines 7th round draft pick Oladokun, then he has a chance. But if Oladokun comes into OTAs and training camp the way the Steelers expect him to, Rudolph is definitely gone. IMO #HereWeGo
STEELERS WORLD 1 