PITTSBURGH — The whole lot about being again on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ UPMC Rooney Sports activities Advanced is acquainted to Mason Rudolph. The top coach, lots of his teammates. the media and the uniforms are all the identical.
Even the noise surrounding him — and never simply the rumble of the trains passing by the follow fields — is one thing the quarterback has grown used to over 5 roller-coaster NFL seasons.
“That is nothing new to me,” Rudolph stated Tuesday when requested in regards to the Aaron Rodgers-sized elephant within the quarterback room. “There’s been fixed noise that’s the nature of the NFL, so I’ve been used to that for a very long time now. I do nothing however be the perfect I will be and assist our crew get higher this spring.”
After a season in Tennessee, the 2018 third-round draft decide returned to the Steelers on a two-year, $7.5 million deal inked within the first week of free company. The Steelers signed Rudolph amid their pursuit of Rodgers, and so they proceed to attend on the four-time MVP to decide about his future.
“It is nice,” Rudolph stated of the Steelers performing rapidly in free company to signal him. “I have been a component [of teams] the place you bounce on the shifting prepare late within the spring, after which [others where] you are right here from the bounce. So I’ve realized to adapt to each, nevertheless it’s clearly good to be wished.”
Rudolph crammed the function of QB1 on Tuesday, main off the quarterback drills for a bunch that additionally consists of 2025 sixth-round decide Will Howard and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson.
“He is all the time been constant of who he’s,” tight finish Pat Freiermuth stated of Rudolph. “Clearly he has a hell of a chance proper now, and so we’re all excited for him. He’ll come to work each single day and work laborious, so it’s been nice to see him work once more.”
For Rudolph, the objective of the subsequent three weeks is to be taught the fundamentals of Arthur Smith’s offense — a system that is a departure from the final time he was in Pittsburgh and performed coordinators Randy Fichtner, Matt Canada and interim OCs/playcallers Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan.
When Rudolph final suited up for the Steelers in 2023, he helped lead a late-season surge that resulted in three straight wins and a playoff berth.
“We gained video games down the stretch there and at an vital time,” Rudolph stated. “I simply assume we performed complimentary soccer, and the extra time spent within the NFL, you be taught that it takes complimentary soccer, particular groups, offense, protection. [Mike Tomlin] put the statistics up right now, I feel we have been just like the final two years, prime two or two and three in turnover margin right here. In order that comes from the tradition that Mike T’s created with ball search and ball safety. That is one thing we’re all working in the direction of.”
To Freiermuth, Rudolph’s skill to raise the crew late within the 2023 season is among the many causes he is excited to have the quarterback within the fold.
“I like Mason,” Freiermuth stated. “He is a hell of a man, hell of a teammate, nice locker room man. And I imply, two years in the past we would have liked to win three video games in a row to make it to the playoffs, and he stood within the pocket and delivered for us. So we received all the religion in him and it is thrilling to get again right here with him.”
And although new vast receiver DK Metcalf wasn’t current Tuesday, Rudolph stated he related with him throughout the first two phases of the offseason program when Metcalf was round “in all probability half the time.”
“He is an unbelievable athlete.” Rudolph stated. “I feel all of us type of knew that from watching the tape and watching him from throughout the league. However his eager to be taught and his questions — and he is inquisitive and he is very clever, very articulate. I believed that was big-time. And he simply looks as if a man who’s a low-ego man. He is been paid quite a bit. He is been very profitable, however he is very hungry to enhance.”
