PITTSBURGH — Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph is “doing fine,” head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday, but the Steelers still do not have any kind of timeframe for when Rudolph will be able to return after suffering a concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Rudolph remains in the concussion protocol and until the Steelers hear otherwise, they’ll be preparing as if Devlin Hodges will make his first career start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I won’t have a lot of details in terms of where he is in the protocol or speculating what that is and the timetable of it,” Tomlin said. “I’m not a medical expert. We have a great deal of confidence in our medical experts and the independent neuro people that are involved in his process.
“They’ll do their due diligence. When he’s available to us, he’s available to us.”
That means that Hodges will be thrust into the spotlight, with Paxton Lynch likely being promoted from the practice squad to serve as his backup. Tomlin said he didn’t anticipate making a move to bring in a quarterback from outside the organization and also has faith in Hodges’ ability to lead the team.
“He has an awareness or savvy and moxie about him that’s beyond his experience,” Tomlin said. “It was evident in Latrobe, he carried it into preseason stadiums and now he’s given us a little insight that he’s capable of carrying it into regular-season stadiums. So, it’s all positive.
“Obviously, he lacks a lot of experience and the things that go with experience, but I like his demeanor, I like his Steady Eddie attitude and approach to it. I think it’s an asset to him and us in the present circumstance.”