With Ben Roethlisberger out for at least the rest of the 2019 season, the Steelers offense is now being run by Mason Rudolph. For the first time in Mike Tomlin’s tenure, he doesn’t have Big Ben under center for a prolonged period of time. Rudolph, if healthy, will get a 14 game, on the job interview as the Steelers quarterback of the future. Offensive Coordinator Randy Fichtner will have to work with Rudolph to adjust the offense and optimize is for Rudolph’s skill set. The Steelers offense will be evolving for the rest of 2019, look for these changes.
In the backfield
The first change that will take place is a reliance on the running game. With Rudolph at the controls running back James Conner’s carries per game will begin to rise. The Steelers have not been able to impose their will in the running game two weeks into the season and while there’s plenty of blame to go around, both tackles, Alejandro Villanueva and Matt Feiler have struggled to sustain blocks. Look for the Steelers to move to a more power-oriented running attack with fullback Roosevelt Nix being worked into the game plan. Nix, a Steelers offensive staple through the last few seasons hasn’t played an offensive snap in 2019. If power running is what the offense’s goal, getting the fullback on the field is a good place to start.
While we’re talking about the running game, expect Jaylen Samuels to see more snaps. Even if that means he and Conner are on the field together. Samuels has struggled as a pass-blocker when on the field but Fichtner and company need to work him into the game-plan. On an offense struggling to find playmakers, Samuels has shown the ability to get open consistently when running passing routes out of the backfield. Using his unique skill set to create mismatches is a part of the Steelers offense that has yet to be unveiled.
With some semblance of a running/short passing game coming from the combination of Conner and Samuels look for Rudolph to use play-action to keep defenses honest. Play-action has been completely abandoned under Fichtner’s tenure as Offensive Coordinator in Pittsburgh. Expect to see it inserted into the game plan in certain situations in an attempt to manufacture passing yards for an offense that’s in flux.
The Receivers
Mason Rudolph could come out and play at a very high level, but it won’t mean much unless his receiving corps starts to shoulder some of the load. It’s well-documented that Donte Moncrief and Ryan Switzer have been absolutely horrible in 2019. In fact, Pro Football Focus’ rating of Moncrief is 39.4 on a scale to 100. One of the lowest scores in the NFL among receivers that qualify.
With their abysmal play causing the offense to stall, look for the Steelers to implement a youth movement. If Rudolph is essentially auditioning to be the Steelers quarterback of the future it makes sense to let James Washington and rookie Diontae Johnson do the same at receiver. This especially holds true with Washington who was the offensive star of the Steelers preseason and already has a solid chemistry with Mason Rudolph dating back to their college days at Oklahoma State University.
With the 2019 version of the Steelers looking very different from previous versions of itself there’s going to be a lot of pressure on young players to make big plays. Look for Fichtner to bunch and stack Steelers receivers with regularity in an attempt to get them free releases off the line of scrimmage. Utilizing natural rubs or picks in route running combinations has been a staple of Fichtner’s game plans and that’s not going to change mid-season with him still calling the plays.
The Steelers have gained a reputation for drafting and developing rare talent at the skill positions over the last decade or so. With Roethlisberger out and Rudolph running the offense the Steelers coaching staff has to try to mitigate the learning curb as much as they can. Whether that’s by limiting mistakes or taking advantage of certain matchups, the Steelers have to take advantage of every situation that will benefit this offense. If Tomlin and company can get quality play from the skill positions the strain on Mason Rudolph will be manageable and maybe, just maybe the Steelers can salvage this season.
