Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Reasons to Believe in Mason Rudolph

Connection with Receivers

Outside of Donte Moncrief, who has forgotten how to catch a football, Rudolph showed an excellent relationship with his receiving crew in last week’s appearance. After a first half in which he struggled to get anything going, Smith-Schuster was able to pick things up in Rudolph’s half of work, including a long 45 yard gain in the third quarter. Having a connection with Smith-Schuster is enormous, as the Steelers No. 1 receiver didn’t quite look like himself over the first game and a half of the new season before Rudolph came in. Being on the same page as his No. 1 receiver will prove to be huge for Rudolph this season.

As for the other receivers, Rudolph should have plenty of trust in the guys he’s throwing to, outside of Moncrief of course. James Washington, Rudolph’s former teammate in college, has shown flashes of big-play potential but has yet to put it all together. Given his collegiate production with Rudolph at the helm and the Steelers need for a No. 2 option to emerge, and it seems likely that the former second-rounder should be a productive target moving forward.

When you throw in the fact that tight end Vance McDonald caught two Rudolph touchdown passes last week, it’s clear Rudolph has a comfort level with his receivers that should serve him well this season. It’s important to note, as well, that these connections should only get stronger with time. As he plays more and more with the first-team receivers, Rudolph should only gain trust in his targets which should be a scary thought for opponents later in the season.