Pittsburgh Steelers: It’s time to resume search for Ben Roethlisberger successor

The Pittsburgh Steelers need to accept Mason Rudolph is not the answer and begin searching for a legitimate successor to Ben Roethlisberger.

For all the furor surrounding the ugly ending to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 11 defeat to the Cleveland Browns, it should not be forgotten that the melee in which Myles Garrett took off Mason Rudolph’s helmet and struck him with it came at the end of an utterly dismal performance for the quarterback.

Garrett’s actions and deserved indefinite suspension have stolen all the headlines, which would have undoubtedly focused on Rudolph’s ineptitude if not for the Browns defensive end’s moment of madness.

Rudolph was abysmal on Thursday, with the former Oklahoma State quarterback completing only 23 of his 44 pass attempts for 221 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions.

He has now been intercepted eight times in as many games since taking over for Ben Roethlisberger midway through Pittsburgh’s Week 2 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

The 2018 third-round pick’s prolonged audition has been a painful one. Rudolph is arguably the worst quarterback in football, and at this point, any talk of him being the long-term successor to Roethlisberger has to be all but extinguished.

With Roethlisberger contracted for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Steelers do not appear to need an immediate replacement for the 37-year-old.

However, as the impact of being in the NFL since 2004 and consistently putting his body on the line takes its toll on Roethlisberger, the chances of injury bringing on premature retirement increase.

The Steelers, therefore, require a dependable insurance policy, and it is clear Rudolph is not that. Pittsburgh needs to re-enter the quarterback market and, though the top prospects will be out of reach with the Steelers having traded away their 2020 first-round pick, several likely mid-round picks have the potential to develop into starters.

K.J. Costello, Nate Stanley, and Steven Montez would all be more intriguing Roethlisberger deputies than Rudolph in 2020 and, going into the offseason, finding a new quarterback to develop under their veteran starter has to be a priority for Pittsburgh.

Rudolph has received enough of an opportunity, and he has failed to take advantage of it. The Steelers are still in the playoff hunt and could turn to Devlin Hodges to keep them in contention. They do not, however, have a quarterback of the future on their roster and, after Rudolph’s dreadful year, there must be a clear focus on finding a passer who can offer hope whenever the post-Roethlisberger era arrives.