What does Dwayne Haskins signing means for Mason Rudolph?

Dwayne Haskins will receive a chance to play for the Steelers. Does that mean the writing is on the wall for Mason Rudolph? 

There’s no telling what the future of Dwayne Haskins will be following his brief stint with the Washington Football Team. However, a top-15 pick will always receive a second chance before their rookie contract comes to a close.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Haskins agreed to terms to bring him into the Steel City. The biggest concern of Haskins in Landover was maturity issues. Under a coach like Mike Tomlin, that will be the least of his concerns.

Attention now turns to Mason Rudolph, the third-year pro from Oklahoma State. Some believed he would be the heir in waiting for Ben Roethlisberger. Two seasons of poor play later likely means he’ll be the career backup.

Will it be with the Steelers? That’s might not be the case now that Haskins has entered the chat.

Haskins upside could push Rudolph to free agency

Haskins started 13 games in two years while Rudolph started nine. In that time span, the former Buckeye has only won three games and tossed 12 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Rudolph, meanwhile, has thrown for three more scores and four fewer turnovers.

Haskins though has thrown for more yards. Then again, 800 more for a former first-round pick isn’t that impressive.

The one selling point for Haskins is his ability to keep drives moving in the right direction. During his starts, he tallied 138 first downs with a limited arsenal and terrible offensive line play. Rudolph only managed 93 despite having a plethora of quality weapons.

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The Steelers could be in the market to draft another quarterback early on, meaning Haskins and Rudolph would battle it out for the No. 2 role. However, it’s hard to say that Haskins was given the best opportunity to win with Terry McLaurin and almost no one else in the passing attack.

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Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and James Washington all are massive upgrades over any second option in Washington.

The Steelers will have to decide what the future of Ben Roethlisberger is. In Matt Canada’s offense, Haskins might be better suited to run the jet sweeps and motions over a 38-year-old who’s inching closer to retirement. His presence also allows the Steelers to focus on drafting for the future on the offensive line with their early selection.

At this point, fans know what Rudolph is. Haskins could be a mystery. No matter how you look at it, Rudolph’s days are numbered entering the offseason.