Mason Rudolph to Start Steelers 2nd Preseason Game vs Eagles, Dwayne Haskins to Back Up

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers ran the rotation of Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins, and Josh Dobbs out there during the Hall of Fame game in that exact order. While there is certainly a perceived battle for that backup quarterback spot, the Steelers are still not changing up that rotation.

Rudolph will, in fact, get the start against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. How long he plays remains to be seen, but Tomlin expects it to go similarly to the Hall of Fame game. That would mean the mock plan is to have Rudolph get two series, Haskins carry it through half time and a bit beyond, and then Dobbs gets a significant amount of the second half reps. Mike Tomlin noted that his plan for the Hall of Fame game changed on the fly, so it could yet again.

“I intended for Mason to play two series last week,” Tomlin said. “I gave him another one because we turned the ball over on an exchange and I didn’t like the feeling of that. So, he played three series. We always have a plan, but we’re always light on our feet based on what transpires.”

Ben Roethlisberger thus will not play on Thursday with Rudolph starting. Whenever Roethlisberger does end up suiting in this preseason if even at all, it will be a short period. For now, it appears the backup quarterback battle is the main focus, even if Rudolph is receiving his second straight start.