The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing back Mason Rudolph officially to continue a job he is very well accustomed to during his tenure with the organization, the third quarterback. As the now five-year NFL veteran enters the facility, one former Steeler is wondering if Rudolph will face a fight for his job and his number.
Arthur Moats played for Pittsburgh from 2014-2017 and missed out on being teammates with Rudolph by a season, but said during a recent episode of his podcast The Arthur Moats Experience With Deke that just because he has a contract, it doesn't mean he's guaranteed anything. He's still got competition with undrafted free agent Tanner Morgan, who impressed at Minnesota and might have an inside connection to stick around.
"Can you beat out a guy that you should beat out?" Moats asked of Rudolph. "This is so that Morgan doesn't get a straight green light at third quarterback. For Rudolph, we know he's been good enough to stay on an NFL roster. We're going to get a chance to see if Morgan can be better than him."
Former Steelers' longtime backup quarterback Charlie Batch who started in 9 games during 8 healthy seasons, missing one season due to knee surgery, and another with a fractured clavicle, joined the show and added his insight on some of what one goes through in that position.
"As a veteran quarterback, they're going to say, 'Yes we appreciate you, but we love that nice new shiny toy that we have with the young guy and we're going to give him every opportunity to beat you out,'" he said. "All of a sudden, that third preseason game, they're going to say, 'Play the first half and prove that you can still play.' That's how [Rudolph] is going to make the roster, is in that third preseason game."
As for his No. 2 jersey number, which was given away to Morgan back at the beginning of May, that's already been returned to Rudolph. Morgan is now listed as #5 on the Steelers website.
Steelers Auditioning A Charlie Batch Type Kenny Pickett Backup, But Who Is It?
The Steelers have their bonafide starter going forward with Kenny Pickett, but many are wondering if this season is a potential audition for a longer-term dependable backup option for the future. Steelers General Manager Omar Khan gave a vote of confidence to Trubisky when the team inked him to a new two-year contract extension on Thursday.
Trubisky has previous starting experience in the league. He even made the Pro Bowl in 2018. Due to that more expansive starting experience for Trubisky, he's a closer career comparable for Batch, who had 46 starts for the Detroit Lions, the hosts agreed.
The 29-year-old in August now will be in Pittsburgh until at least after the 2025 season unless he's released or traded. One has to wonder though after seeing Geno Smith have a career year on his fourth team with the Seattle Seahawks if Trubisky could still end up with another starting opportunity somewhere down the road on another team. He admitted to jumping into things too quickly in free agency last time, but it seems like he's content with his situation in Pittsburgh for the time being.
The pair agreed both could be long-term backup options, but thought the possibility of Rudolph, who has only ever been a Steeler, being more likely to assume the Batch mantel.
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