LATROBE, Pa. -- With mattress and pillow in hand, Landry Jones arrived quietly on campus early Wednesday afternoon. Nope, no WWE title belt or helicopter here.
The unassuming backup quarterback usually flies well under the radar on reporting day, even more so during the season, save for Week 17 in what's become his traditional start against Cleveland in a meaningless game.
This training camp, however, promises to be a little different than his previous six at Saint Vincent College. This time, the 2013 fourth-rounder's job very well may be on the line.
That much was evident in May when the Steelers selected Mason Rudolph in the third round of the draft.
Obviously, Jones has been around long enough to see the Steelers draft another quarterback before. Just last year, they selected Josh Dobbs in the fourth round. Three years ago, just two weeks before the start of the regular season, Mike Vick was signed off the streets to be Ben Roethlisberger's primary backup.
Well, the aging Vick came and went after one injury-plagued season. And, like Jones, Dobbs' roster spot could be tenuous. But the former Tennessee quarterback has one advantage over Jones — he comes cheap. Dobbs will make just $735,000, compared to the $1.9 million that Jones is scheduled to make in the final year of his two-year, $4.4 million contract.
"That's kind of what it is for a backup quarterback," Jones was saying Wednesday. "It doesn't matter if they draft a guy or they do something in free agency."
Thing is, Rudolph isn't Dobbs. Rudolph is viewed as the legitimate heir apparent to the 36-year-old Roethlisberger and will need to be groomed as such sooner rather than later.
"Big kid, good strong arm, accurate," Jones, former Oklahoma star, said of Rudolph, the former Oklahoma State star. "The things you expect from someone to get drafted that high."
Jones is still the odds-on favorite to retain his job as the No. 2, but that could be subject to change based on how Rudolph performs in camp and in the preseason. And Jones, who has a 3-2 record and has thrown for 1,310 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in his career, knows it.
"You think you have (done a good job) but it's just like anytime they bring anyone in, there's always that sense of anxiety of if 'I'm going to have a job? Am I going to make the team?'" he says.
One of the more interesting storylines of this camp will be the division of labor at quarterback. During recent camps, Roethlisberger's schedule has been regimented, working a full day, followed by a half-day and then a day off. Tomlin wouldn't definitively say that's the plan for this camp, but it's the most likely course of action.
"Ben's done this for a long time, so it's always good to preserve him and have an eye toward the complete journey," Tomlin said. "And he's got a cumulative body of work that allows it. The training process may not be as long as it is for some others."
Obviously, Rudolph is going to get his fair share of reps as the Steelers will need to see if he is, in fact, the QB of the future that Jones and Dobbs simply aren't. Perhaps in a sign of things to come, it was Rudolph who ran the final 2-minute drill in minicamp, capping spring practice with a TD pass to Justin Thomas.
Roethlisberger created quite the controversy in the spring when he suggested that he won't go out of his way to help Rudolph eventually take his job, though he did walk that back a little. For his part, Jones said he's willing to work with the rookie but that their working relationship will have to grow organically.
"I'll help him out as much as I can," Jones was saying. "I'm never going to turn him away or anything like that. It's one of those things, I need to get to know him first, what he wants, what he wants to do with his career. You don't want to jump in someone's face and be like 'Here's what you're doing', and 'Do it this way', and yell out information at him. I don't know if he wants that. I just don't know him well enough."
Despite the competition, with former quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner taking over as offensive coordinator from Todd Haley, the quarterbacks room should at least be a fairly peaceful place.
"That's exciting to see in that quarterback room," Jones said. "Someone who wants to do things the right way and wants to have everyone on the same page."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers arrive at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa., July 25, 2018. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS