Steelers' Eric Rowe On How The Switch To Mason Rudolph Has Exhilarated The Whole Team

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin made a bold move with just a few weeks left in the season and changed the starting quarterback to long-time backup Mason Rudolph. The change occurred after starting second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett was injured during their Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Pickett was initially replaced by second-string quarterback Mitch Trubisky. After the team lost that game, as well as the next two games (all to teams that should have been beatable), Tomlin chose to bench Trubisky in favor of Rudolph. Now a current safety is sharing how much the decision to stick with Rudolph has helped the entire team. 

Pickett was eligible to return to the field after undergoing tight rope surgery for a high ankle sprain for the Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Tomlin chose instead to stick with the hot hand in Rudolph. He made the same choice in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. The three wins in a row that Rudolph helped engineer, enabled Pittsburgh to make it to the postseason with a little help from the Tennessee Titans. 

While there was some talk about who Tomlin would go with for their Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills, it seemed like an obvious decision to stick with Rudolph. This means Pickett will be suited up as a backup. It isn't just the three wins the Steelers got to close out a rollercoaster of a season, it isn't just making the postseason, it is the whole dynamic of the team. Steelers safety Eric Rowe said that Rudolph has had a positive impact on the entire team. 

Steelers' Mason Rudolph Brought New Passion To The Whole Team

Rowe was signed to the practice squad in November of 2023. It was the first time he had stepped on a football field since being released from the Carolina Panthers in September of 2023. Typically players are signed to the practice squad to bolster depth at a position, but for Pittsburgh, it was a bit more serious than that. Their secondary was riddled with injuries, as well as the suspension of Damontae Kazee. Without Kazee, and with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal banged up, the team elevated Rowe to the active roster. He has wowed fans with his aggressive gameplay and you would never know he practically just got off his couch.  

He recently spoke to Mike Yam from NFL Total Access about what it has been like to make this kind of a comeback as a veteran in the league. Yam also asked Rowe about the decision to keep Rudolph under center. The offense certainly has looked more energized, scoring 30 points or more for the first time all season in Week 16. Yam wondered about the overall impact and if it has been a confidence booster.

"Oh man, very confident! Especially with the run game. You know running how it is, and [Rudolph] playing very well, you know being very efficient with his passes, very efficient with the offense and the timing. Obviously, you know it gives confidence to the team, it gives energy to the defense. You know we all have to use the energy to especially push past these teams in the playoffs."

While Rowe wasn't playing with Pickett before his energy, it is impossible to miss the change in energy that Rudolph has brought to this team. Rudolph was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2018 in the third round out of Oklahoma State. The original plan seemed to have him possibly be the heir apparent to the aging Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger has been very open about the fact that he wasn't happy with the selection, however, he insists it isn't personal.