Report: Mason Rudolph Eyeing for Week 8 Return

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph is expected to be healthy enough to return to action after the team’s off week, according to a report by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Rudolph, who suffered a concussion Oct. 6 against the Baltimore Ravens and was still in the NFL’s concussion protocol as of Sunday, was replaced by third-string undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges as the Steelers upset the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.
Rudolph was a limited participant in practice all week in the lead up to the Chargers game and traveled with the team to Los Angeles, but did not dress.

He’ll now have an extended break in action to get back to full health, as the Steelers do not have a Week 7 game and don’t play until Monday night in Week 8, when they’ll host the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the Steelers will want Rudolph to start when he does return to health. Hodges led a conservative Steelers attack to a 24-17 victory on Sunday.

Afterward, head coach Mike Tomlin said that he wasn’t going to entertain hypotheticals about who may start a week from Monday.

“I’m not getting into that,” Tomlin said.

The Steelers will practice twice during their idle week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, but do not have to submit a formal injury report to the league until the following Wednesday in advance of their game against the Dolphins.