Steelers Quarterback Coach Tom Arth Gets Honest About Mason Rudolph's Development In Mike McCarthy's System

The Pittsburgh Steelers are deep in a backup quarterback battle. There are a lot of conflicting reports and theories about whose job it is to win and who will most likely lose his job after the preseason. Will Howard is an unknown that could come out of nowhere and thrive, or he could just be a typical journeyman third-stringer like most sixth-round picks are. Meanwhile, Mason Rudolph has plenty of experience as a seasoned veteran.

Like the young quarterbacks on the current roster, Rudolph has been working in Mike McCarthy's "QB School" while he tries to find some untapped potential. In a conversation with Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (TribLIVE) columnist Tim Benz, Steelers Quarterback Coach Tom Arth explained Rudolph's mindset about trying to relearn his position at this stage of his career. It's safe to say that Arth has been thoroughly impressed.

"Mason [Rudolph] has done an awesome job for us," Arth said. "This is his ninth year. Going through our offseason program in the quarterback school as a nine-year vet, you (wonder), ‘How receptive is Mason going to be to some of this? Footwork, adjusting some things.’ He’s been unbelievable. He’s been so receptive and really diligent in the way that he’s worked at everything that we’ve asked of him. And he’s playing as well as I’ve seen him play."

Rudolph has been extremely critical of his former coaches at times, as well as his former teammate Ben Roethlisberger. Having a player say these things while he is still employed could make it seem like he's a bad teammate himself, but that is clearly not the case here, as Arth has nothing but praise for the career backup. 

The praise doesn't stop there though. Arth was also asked about how Rudolph has improved as a quarterback overall, and he had all kinds of great things to say on that front. He specifically mentioned Rudolph's fundamentals. 

"Really, all areas," Arth said. "I think fundamentally, I think processing, he’s playing faster. I think he understands the time clock and how his footwork relates to the pass concepts. He’s trusting his feet. He’s working through progressions and certainly playing faster than I’ve seen him play in the past. He’s performed very well. He’s having an outstanding camp. He had an outstanding offseason. We expect him to continue to grow in that way."

Rudolph seems to finally be getting the coaching and attention that he has desperately needed since he was drafted in 2017. Entering his 10th NFL season, there seems to be a chance that this untapped potential can finally be brought to light. If he's able to keep this up, it will be very hard for Pittsburgh to be able to justify letting him go, as he may actually become a quality starting-caliber passer like he was supposed to be.

Steelers' Mason Rudolph Has Shown Signs Of Greatness In The Past

Back toward the end of the 2023 regular season, Rudolph was called upon by former head coach Mike Tomlin to finish the year as the starting quarterback. After an ankle injury to Kenny Pickett and some underwhelming play from Mitch Trubisky, Rudolph stepped up and led the Steelers on a three-game winning streak. Those consecutive wins helped Pittsburgh punch a ticket to the postseason and arguably revived his career.

During that span, Rudolph completed 55 of 74 passes (74.3%) for 719 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. That was a league-best 118.0 passer rating in that timeframe.

Though Rudolph might not ever have a run like that again, he's shown that he can be more than capable. With the right coaching staff moving forward, maybe he can show a little bit of that magic again if ever called upon.

What do you think about Arth praising Rudolph's ability to develop with this new coaching staff? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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