Coaches navigating tough QB competition
In last week’s Hall of Fame Game, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin only planned to see Mason Rudolph quarterback the offense for two possessions. But when Rudolph fumbled a handoff to wideout Chase Claypool to prematurely end the team’s first drive, Tomlin decided to not count that one and to give Rudolph an extra series.
That’s a glimpse into how the Steelers are handling the evaluation of their backup quarterback competition. On the bright side, they’ve got four preseason games and 20 practices before they break training camp to figure it out. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a tricky process for Tomlin and offensive coordinator Matt Canada to get a sense of some separation between Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins and even Josh Dobbs — all of whom played in the preseason opener and
likely will continue to do so in the other three exhibitions, starting with Thursday night in Philadelphia.
“We always have a hardcore plan and we’re always willing to adjust as we see fit, in-game,” Tomlin said of his approach to who plays quarterback and how much. “And that’s not only with that circumstance, but that’s with any circumstance.”
Tomlin has been through this plenty of times as he enters his 15th season, and with plenty of quarterbacks. Just three years ago, it was the trio of Rudolph, Dobbs and veteran backup Landry Jones all trying to state their case for the No. 2 job behind Roethlisberger.
But neither Rudolph nor Haskins got to experience preseason football coming off their first campaigns as starters. For Rudolph, that was an up-and-down 2019 in which he filled in for an injured Roethlisberger. For Haskins, that was his rookie year in Washington, where he started six of the final seven games. Over his last two appearances, he completed 31 of 43 passes for 394 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions with just three sacks taken. But any chance to build on that momentum in-stadium was squandered by COVID-19 wiping out the 2020 preseason.
Haskins has often outplayed Rudolph in practice so far this month, though that’s not to say it’s a level playing field. Rudolph faces stiffer challenges from the first-team Steelers defense, whereas Haskins gets more snaps with backups and against backups. Thus, there’s a certain intangible factor to seeing what they do against faces that are especially nameless and especially gray when you consider preseason opponents.
“Obviously, in a game situation, it’s weighted differently. I think there is no question about that,” Canada said Saturday. “[Their decision- making] weighted differently, we all know that, but we’re evaluating everything all the time. Certainly, how you perform in a game circumstance or situation is going to be weighted heavier.”
Incidentally, this is also Canada’s first time having a preseason to assess his roster. As a longtime college coach who transitioned to the NFL a year ago, he was in the same boat as Rudolph and Haskins with no way to get his feet wet in 2020.
Canada “really enjoyed” the Hall of Fame Game and called it a “great opportunity” to see how players perform under the lights. According to Tomlin, the flow chart will be the same against the Eagles — Rudolph, then Haskins, then Dobbs — but it would be intriguing to all involved if one or two of those guys do something to stand out Thursday, be it in a good way or a bad way. If you believe Canada, Rudolph’s lone turnover is not in that category.
“We’ve got to continue to practice it and do a better job with it,” Canada said of the botched jet sweep. “It’s one of those things that doesn’t matter whose fault it is. So, we’ll just say it’s my fault. I called it, we’ll get it better, but it’s going to be part of what we do. I’ll take that one, and we’ll get it fixed.”
We have seen Rudolph take at least one big shot downfield, the 45-yarder caught by Claypool against the Cowboys, but Haskins and Dobbs played a more conservative game that night. Tomlin has jokingly referred to Haskins as “Checkdown” — no Charlie, apparently — in practice, so it will be interesting to see if he tries to be a bit is more of a gunslinger in this one.
“Coach Tomlin has tremendous football knowledge and is very much a leader of men. And, obviously, Dwayne has to continue to make good decisions. Some people if they got called ‘ Checkdown’ would try to prove you wrong and make a bad decision,” Canada said. “Dwayne is putting the ball to the open guy, and that’s what he’s supposed to do. As long as he does that, then we’re all going to be happy. … He just has to take what the defense gives him. I think he is doing a good job of that, not letting coach Tomlin talk him into doing something silly.”
As for Dobbs, he might be the long shot of the group, but playing in a preseason game also gives him the latitude to do something else that’s limited in practice: Show off his legs. Dobbs has more mobility than Haskins, and considerably more than Rudolph, and his new offensive coordinator has noticed.
“We all know how smart Josh is. His ability to make plays with his feet is something that’s probably underrated,” Canada said. “In practice, you don’t get to appreciate any of it. He tries to talk about, in a game situation, he can run away and do things and put the ball where it’s supposed to be.”