Steelers Camp Takeaways: Mason Rudolph Runs With First Team Offense (+)

UNITY TWP., Pa — Mason Rudolph got his chance to run with the first team at Steelers camp on Wednesday. Was it the prettiest day for Rudolph ever? Not really. However, it got things churning, and when it comes to what Rudolph wants in the Steelers quarterback competition that is all that really matters.

Rudolph’s first outing with the first team was in the run team drill. In that drill, Rudolph only threw one pass into the flat to Benny Snell for what was an easy completion. That was not where Rudolph’s real reps came into play, though. He had some iffy reps in seven shots. An overthrown ball in the direction of Gunner Olszewski was likely one of his worst throws of the day. Then, back with the second team, Rudolph tried to float a ball to Steven Sims off a double move, but the throw died on him and was nearly intercepted by James Pierre.

However, the real highlight was watching Rudolph work into the two-minute drill. It was a wonky and weird drill. There were a few nice throws, still. Rudolph made a nice throw on a crossing pattern to Sims as he flashed open. Then, on the next play, he hit Kevin Rader up the seam on a beautiful pass. It was eerily reminiscent of an earlier throw in the seven-on-seven portion of practice where Rudolph hit Miles Boykin up the seam.

Still, nothing was exactly smooth with Rudolph. It was like riding a roller coaster. In the first team, he was generally cautious. There were not many times when he aired the ball out. He seemed comfortable but almost tentative to test anything too deep. Meanwhile, that two-minute drill did not end well.