Steelers 2-a-days: OLB Quincy Roche back with the team, Mason Rudolph’s QB3 role a certainty
Share this post:
Editor’s note: From the end of minicamp through the day the team reports to training camp at Saint Vincent, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2023 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly-alphabetical order, (at least) two per day, between June 16 and July 26. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
OLB QUINCY ROCHE
Experience: 20 regular-season games the past two seasons
Contract status: $940,000 cap hit if he makes the team in 2023, would be a restricted free agent in 2024
2023 outlook: A sixth-round pick of the Steelers in 2021, Roche is back with the organization. After a 2022 season in which he played only six defensive snaps over three regular-season games for the New York Giants and spent most of the autumn on their practice squad, Roche elected to sign a reserve/future deal with the Steelers in January. Roche was considered a sleeper prospect to eventually make an impact when the Steelers drafted him 216th overall, but he was part of their final cuts at the end of the 2021 training camp. That appeared to backfire when Roche was claimed by the Giants and was a starter for three games (playing in 14) for them that season. Meanwhile, the player the Steelers kept instead of Roche, Jamir Jones, was waived less than a month later — and the top backup at OLB that season, Melvin Ingram, forced his way out of Pittsburgh.
Roche (6-3, 245) accumulated 30 1/2 sacks over four college seasons, including 13 for Temple in 2019 and 4 1/2 in 10 games for Miami in 2020. But it was clear the Giants weren’t overly impressed by his rookie performance, and he was not much in their plans last season when the team had improved overall. That doesn’t mean Roche doesn’t have an NFL future — but at this point it seems his ceiling is as a backup. And if that’s the case, Roche better show special teams skills and ability.
Barring injury, the Steelers are pretty set with a top three at OLB in 2023 — starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith with veteran backup Markus Golden. But history has shown they need depth at the position, and Roche is competing with a trio of rookies (fourth-round pick Nick Herbig and undrafted David Perales and Toby Ndukwe) to be the OLB4.
“I’m fired up to be back,” he said. “It’s a great group of guys. I had some opportunities, but felt like I didn’t want to let things drag out until training camp when I knew I was wanted here. I’m happy to be back in the 412.”https://t.co/4cRSJetFfz
— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) May 26, 2023
QB MASON RUDOLPH
Experience: 6th season
Contract status: $940,000 cap hit on a one-year deal in 2023
2023 outlook: At this point last year, Rudolph was in a purported competition to start. But in reality he never was given a look to unseat Mitch Trubisky, who took exclusive first-team reps all summer and throughout camp after he’d signed in March 2022. Rudolph also probably never stood a chance to stay above Kenny Pickett on the depth chart after Pickett was drafted in the first round last April.
So, Rudolph was a gameday inactive all season aside from a December game in Carolina when Pickett was out because of a concussion. It was widely assumed Rudolph was counting down the days until free agency to find a better opportunity to play — but no offer worth accepting materialized over two months this spring, so Rudolph came back to the Steelers for a veteran-minimum deal of $1.08 million in salary.
Barring injury, just like in 2022 Rudolph has zero chance again this season to be anything more than the Steelers’ third stringer. But it should come as a comfort to the Steelers and their fans that they have such an accomplished No. 3 QB. Rudolph has 10 career starts and six years worth of knowledge gained in the organization. He knows the offensive scheme and by all accounts has a good relationship with Pickett.
Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.