Let the competition begin.
Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins have been told they will compete to become Ben Roethlisberger’s successor, setting the stage for a seven-month derby to win the starting quarterback job for the Steelers in 2022.
Rudolph is under contract for the 2022 season after signing a one-year extension for $5 million last spring. He’s entering his fifth season with the Steelers after being selected in the third round of the 2018 draft. He has been the backup to Roethlisberger for the past three seasons and had an opportunity to start eight games when Roethlisberger was injured during the 2019 season.
“It’s a great feeling,” Rudolph said Wednesday afternoon during a Zoom call with reporters. “All I want is a chance to compete and be the guy here. It seems like that’s more of a real possibility now than ever.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be is an NFL starting quarterback. I think I can do it. I think I have what it takes. I understand what I’ve put on tape in ’19 and until this point there are question marks on my game. I want to prove those people wrong, and I want to prove myself to my teammates and the guys that I really care about.”
Rudolph went 5-3 during the 2019 season, but he was benched for a period and replaced by Devlin Hodges. Rudolph started one game apiece in 2020 and 2021. He lost to the Browns in the ’20 regular season finale when the Steelers were resting most of their starters, and he tied the Lions this past season when Roethlisberger was on the COVID-19 list. He has a 5-4-1 career record.
Haskins was selected by the Washington Football Team with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He was 3-10 as a starter over two seasons with Washington and was released in December of 2020 after a video surfaced of him breaking COVID protocols at a strip club following a late-season loss. The Steelers signed him last January and he served as the third-string quarterback last season.
Haskins dressed for only one game — the 16-16 tie against the Lions — and did not play. He is a restricted free agent, but the Steelers are expected to tender him in the coming weeks.
“I feel like I learned a lot from not playing this year,” Haskins said. “Coach Tomlin wanted me to have an opportunity to sit back and learn. I had an opportunity to do that in college. Being drafted early and having to play early, I didn’t have a chance to learn the NFL game the way it should be done and the way the Steelers want it done. They gave me an opportunity to understand the Steeler way, the way they want their quarterbacks to operate, the way Ben operated. It was a great learning experience being able to move forward this year and try to embody what it is to be a guy like Ben and a guy who can take over a great franchise the way he did.”
The Steelers are expected to add at least one and possibly two more quarterbacks before training camp in July. They could draft a quarterback later this spring or sign one in free agency. Rudolph said he “had no idea” what the quarterback room will look like, but he’s looking forward to competing for the starter’s job for the first time in his career.
“It is encouraging to know I’ve got as good a chance as any as opposed to the last four years when I had zero chance,” he said. “That’s going to motivate me to put my best foot forward.”
But are Rudolph’s feet fast enough, given Tomlin’s desire to have a mobile quarterback run his offense next season? Tomlin mentioned on more than one occasion last season how quarterback mobility is a must in today’s NFL.
Rudolph and Haskins won’t remind anyone of Lamar Jackson. Rudolph ran a 4.9 in the 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL combine; Haskins ran a 5.04 at the 2019 combine.
But Haskins said Wednesday that Tomlin isn’t necessarily looking for a running quarterback, but rather one who will extend plays.
“Coach Tomlin does a great job preaching quarterback mobility,” Haskins said. “When we play certain QBs that have a type of mobility, I get a chance to emulate them — guys like Patrick Mahomes, guys that can extend plays like Aaron Rodgers and throw it downfield.
“He’s defined quarterback mobility as a guy who can extend plays, not necessarily a guy like a Lamar Jackson-type of a guy that can take off for 60 yards, but a guy who can get a first down but be able to move around the pocket and make a guy miss, kind of like a young Ben was. He preaches a lot how Ben was like Josh Allen early in his career. That’s something he feels can add another dynamic to this offense.”
While Rudolph’s mission over the next few months will be to prove his playing ability, Haskins must prove two things: He has to show the coaches he can operate the Steelers offense and prove to the front office that he’s matured to the point where Steelers brass can trust him.
Washington’s decision to move on from him after less than two years was one of the quickest releases for a first-round quarterback in recent memory. He’s trying to resurrect his career with the Steelers and believes the past year prepared him to be a starter again.
“I think anytime you get an opportunity to sit back and learn, you get to see what to do and what not to do,” Haskins said. “I feel like I had a great chance to see what it’s like to be a leader, a guy like Ben, a Hall of Fame quarterback. Guys have a lot of respect for him.
“I feel like being a starter in the NFL is a great responsibility. It’s something people look forward to seeing how you do, how you live your life, be an example to kids and things of that nature. Being a quarterback at Ohio State and being able to be a part of that it gives me a little bit of an understanding of what it’s like to be a quarterback in the NFL. Being able to be around guys like Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger, Case Keenum and Colt McCoy, all true pros, emulating what you want to be in the community and on the field.”
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: January 19, 2022, 7:16 p.m.