ALTOONA, Pa. -- For the first time in 18 years, the Steelers are searching for a starting quarterback. For the first time in a long time they won't be building the offense around a future Hall of Fame, two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger.
Enter Mason Rudolph.
Rudolph, the long-time backup for Roethisberger, is the most likely player on the roster to take over in 2023 and while he might be in a competition with Dwayne Haskins and whoever else the Steelers elect to bring in he's ready for the challenge.
The Oklahoma State product appeared on The Jim Rome Show to discuss the upcoming season and why he's excited to challenge for the No. 1 spot.
"I'm excited to take the next step," Rudolph said, acknowledging the Steelers aren't done adding to the quarterback room.
That competition isn't always a bad thing and Rudolph is very much aware of just that.
"There's always going to be competition," Rudolph said. "No matter if we draft somebody, if we bring somebody else in, I'm never going to shy away from that. That's an obvious component. We know they're going to add to the room, right? So, I'm excited to compete and looking forward to the opportunity to play."
That opportunity is something Rudolph has only been able to do when Roethlisberger was injured or the game was out of hand. It's also something deeper this year as the team won't be hamstrung by Roethlisberger's version of the offense they run.
"There was some concepts, some things that Ben had ran and Ben had comfortable with for 10 years," Rudolph said. "No matter who the coordinator was, he was tied to some concepts and I think that was a bit of a mesh between him and the coordinator. You get that kind of leeway when you're an 18-year, future Hall of Fame quarterback."
With Roethlisberger gone, how exactly does Rudolph see offensive coordinator Matt Canada's offense unfolding? It seems as though the plan is to move the ball down the field and that seems to fit Rudolph fairly well.
"I'm excited this year just to kind of have the dialogue with Matt and move forward with his bread and butter. He's a play-action guy, he's a push the ball down the field kind of guy. I think that suits my style well."