Steady on practice field, Mason Rudolph ready to 'prove' his value to Steelers once preseason begins

Mason Rudolph started the first two preseason games last year when he was firmly entrenched as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup quarterback.

Such is life in a four-game preseason when Ben Roethlisberger is the starting quarterback, and he doesn’t make an appearance until the third exhibition.

This year, with one fewer game on the docket and Roethlisberger enjoying retirement, Rudolph is as curious as anyone to see how the quarterbacks will be handled once preseason games begin.

It is easily the biggest question in camp, and, as of Monday, Rudolph wasn’t sure how the reps would be divvied when the Steelers open against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium.

“I haven’t heard a word,” Rudolph said.

Of the four quarterbacks on the roster, Rudolph is the only one with experience working with offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who is in his third year on coach Mike Tomlin’s staff and second in his current role.

Rudolph has shared snaps on the second-team offense with first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett, and free agent signee Mitch Trubisky has worked almost exclusively with the first team. That he is the lone known commodity to the coaching staff is of no consolation to Rudolph as he competes for the starting job.

“I think you’re always trying to prove yourself,” Rudolph said. “Every chance you get, you want to prove it. It’s one thing to do it in practice. It’s another to do it in a stadium. We have a lot of young guys, and I’m excited to lead those guys and make them feel comfortable out there when the bullets are flying.”

What takes place over the next three weeks — the Steelers also play at Jacksonville and finish the preseason with a home game against Detroit — will determine whether Rudolph can jump ahead of Trubisky and Pickett to become Roethlisberger’s successor.

Rudolph has been the most consistent passer of the three starting candidates in training camp, and he still hasn’t thrown an interception in team periods. But he realizes what transpires on the practice field is only part of the equation.

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“You want to have an impressive collective body of work,” Rudolph said, “but games are more important.”

This year will be the Steelers’ first foray into a three-game preseason schedule. They used their inclusion in the Hall of Fame Game last year as a chance to start Rudolph and then give snaps to Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs.

Rudolph started again the following week, Roethlisberger debuted in the third game and Haskins started the finale.

“You have to utilize the reps to the best of your ability and take advantage,” Rudolph said. “Everyone else in the NFL had three preseason games last year aside from us and Dallas, so it’s something we can’t control. Control what we can control.”

If Tomlin follows the plan he has outlined for the entire training camp, Trubisky will start Saturday night against Seattle.

“That’s up to coach,” Trubisky said. “As a competitor, I always want to play. I’m looking forward to getting into the game and playing in front of fans. We’ll see what he does.”

The game Saturday also will be Pickett’s debut in a Steelers uniform. Pickett hasn’t gotten any first-team reps, but he has been used instead of Rudolph in some second-team situations.

“I feel a lot better,” Pickett said Saturday before the Steelers headed into a day off. “Being able to play with these guys a little bit more, I thought it was a lot cleaner. I feel good going into Week 3.”

Rudolph said he has gotten more comfortable running Canada’s system, which he said is being expanded this season to account for more mobility from the quarterback position.

“We’ve opened the playbook even more than last year,” he said. “There are more volume of concepts, red-zone concepts, short-yardage concepts. … It’s nice to see some new wrinkles, and I think guys are excited about the schemes, and we’re trying to executive to the best of our ability.”