For the first time since 2003 when he was finishing up a stellar collegiate career at Miami of Ohio, Big Ben Roethlisberger will not start the majority of the Steelers’ games at quarterback this season. Roethlisberger left the team’s Week 2 game with an elbow injury, and the team announced that he will be having season-ending surgery on the elbow this week. The Steelers came into the 2019 with fantasy difference-makers all over their offense, but with the lifeblood of their game plan now sidelined for the season, their outlook becomes significantly bleaker.
The names following Big Ben on Pittsburgh’s depth chart — Mason Rudolph and recent practice squad promotion recipient Devlin Hodges — don’t exactly give owners of James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, or the Steelers’ other weapons a good feeling in their stomach. Rudolph came in after Roethlisberger’s injury and performed respectably, completing 12 of 19 attempts for 112 yards, 2 TDs and an INT, but still represents a major drop-off from the future Hall of Famer who’s been running Pittsburgh’s offense since Rudolph was in 3rd grade.
Now in his 2nd season out of Oklahoma State, Rudolph’s appearance Sunday was his first NFL game action, so he’ll clearly be a work-in-progress heading into his first career start against San Francisco. Still, the Steelers can salvage a decent offensive output if they maintain a steady rushing attack with Conner (and others) and adjust the offense to better fit their new QB. But considering Mike Tomlin’s apparently inability to adjust game plans at any point, that may be easier said than done.
Rudolph’s collegiate teammate, James Washington, will likely get a bump due to their crazy chemistry over the last few seasons. Not only did the duo dominate the Big 12, but Washington put up 17-336-4 over 216 preseason snaps — with the majority coming from Rudolph, per Adam Levitan.
Owners of the Steelers offensive weapons should check back in later this week for The Wolf’s updated Rest of Season Rankings — but, I should warn you, you may not love what you find.
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