As Kenny Pickett's status for Sunday's game at Carolina remains in the air, the Steelers are continuing to test out "2 and 2A" as a potential replacement.
The Steelers' starting quarterback practiced in a limited fashion on Wednesday in a helmet and pads, just three days after entering the concussion protocol in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Ravens:
We have the above video to dictate this much: Pickett was on the field for practice Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, along with fellow quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, the latter of whom confirmed he split first-team reps.
“It was good to get some reps again and shake the rust off and be out there with the guys," Rudolph said after practice. "It was fun. ... Just the first play-call and being back in the huddle and calling plays with the starting offense was, it was fun. I think I shook off the rust relatively quickly, so it was a good day."
Mason Rudolph confirmed he shared first-team reps in #Steelers practice today.
— Corey Crisan (@cdcrisan) December 14, 2022
“It was good to get some reps again and shake the rust off and be out there with the guys. It was fun.” pic.twitter.com/W6d5sW3cdk
Officially, Pickett practiced in a limited fashion, as dictated by the team's official injury report. While this is a positive step towards receiving clearance, a "limited" participation does not necessarily point the arrow upward in a totality. Pickett remains in the concussion protocol as of Wednesday afternoon, and the chance of him being under center on Sunday remains at zero until he clears the protocol.
Pickett did not speak with media members on Wednesday, as policy goes so long as he remains in the protocol.
One day after Mike Tomlin considered Trubisky and Rudolph "2 and 2A" within the quarterback room, each appeared to be bumped on Wednesday, as Pickett took a limited share of the reps.
"We work both guys," Tomlin said Tuesday. "Both guys have remained engaged, and it's really kind of been 2 and 2A, if you will. There's a scarcity of reps. But again, as I mentioned, when you’ve got veteran backups, guys with a cumulative body of work, particularly in Mason's case, haven't been exposed to us and having been here and the receivers potentially that he would work with and all of those things. Oftentimes, when you're talking about a guy ascending within that position, you're calling on past experiences as a catalyst for how you move forward."
Rudolph has not thrown a pass in a regular-season game in nearly a calendar year. His last attempt was a 12-yard completion to Zach Gentry to run the clock out of a 36-10 Steelers loss at Kansas City on Dec. 26, 2021. In the preseason, he completed 26 of 39 passes (66.7%) for 220 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Pickett left the third play of Pittsburgh's first offensive series after taking a sack and being thrown down to the ground by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, but was cleared to return in the next series. The Steelers went three-and-out in the following series with Pickett in, but he was pulled and placed in the protocol after continuing to display concussion-like symptoms. Trubisky rode the game out as the Steelers' quarterback as Rudolph was inactive.
Just as Rudolph has been for all 13 of the Steelers' games this season.
Rudolph is a five-year pro who has spent each season inside the Steelers' locker room, primarily as the backup to Ben Roethlisberger in recent years. He has a solid chance of earning a helmet on Sunday if all indications remain the same over the course of Thursday and Friday's practice sessions, in terms of Pickett's availability.
With the chance to dress and potentially play on Sunday, a four-plus-month stretch of waiting could call the former starter back into action. His patience, he said, came from advice from longtime quarterbacks coach Tom Moore, who once upon a time was Peyton Manning's offensive coordinator and is now an assistant with Tampa Bay, coaching Tom Brady.
"He offered some encouragement and said, 'hey, you don't know when your opportunity's going to come, but you can always be ready for it. It's the only thing you can do,'" Rudolph said. "That's the way I've tried to approach this year."
That encouragement, Rudolph said, came from when the Steelers met the Buccaneers earlier this season. Rudolph said the connection came from Moore's friendship with former Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner.
Rudolph taking more reps on Wednesday and for the first time since training camp is a telling sign, especially with Trubisky throwing three interceptions on Sunday in replacement of Pickett. This season, Trubisky has completed 63.3% of his passes for 1,073 yards, four touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 78.4 rating.
"He delivered he ball really well," Gentry said of Rudolph in Wednesday's practice. "Obviously Mason's a super experienced guy, and somebody whose been the quarterback here. Complete faith in Mitch and Mason, and they both practiced really well today. ... (Rudolph has) been, I'd call him, extremely helpful on game day. He has a headset, he hears the calls. A lot of times the guys on the sidelines want to know what the call is, and so he's able to communicate that with us. Several times last game I heard him talking to the coaches a little bit and planting some bugs in the ear. He definitely recognizes defenses, and so I think he just communicates a lot with guys on the team and also the coaches on game day."
MORE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE
• The Steelers' injury report includes Pickett and cornerback Cam Sutton (neck/stinger) as limited participants, while running back Najee Harris (hip), tight end Pat Freiermuth (foot), linebacker Myles Jack (groin), and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (toe) did not practice on Wednesday:
The #Steelers’ injury report from Wednesday.
— Corey Crisan (@cdcrisan) December 14, 2022
- Kenny Pickett (concussion) officially was limited, as was Cam Sutton (stinger).
- Najee Harris (hip), Myles Jack (groin), Pat Freiermuth (foot), and Larry Ogunjobi (toe) DNP. pic.twitter.com/KeOvmQzo6w
"I mean, he seems to be moving fine," Gentry said of Freiermuth. "I'm not sure exactly where he's at. You'd have to talk to him about his rehab and where he's at, but I'm sure we'll be attached at the hip as soon as all the camera get off of me."
