Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Standouts vs. Panthers in Preseason Week 4

Perfection avoided the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason as the team fell, 25-19, to the Carolina Panthers. But these players managed to step up.

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of football. Not only is the college game back, but the NFL regular season opener on Thursday night is under a week away. Yes, it’s a great time to be a football fan. Unfortunately, it isn’t necessarily a great time to be a football player, which many members of the Pittsburgh Steelers right now can attest to.

With the preseason finished, NFL teams will cut their rosters down to the regulated 53-man size. That means over 1,000 players will be out of a job by the time you’re reclining on your couch this coming Thursday. Many of those players will not get another shot at playing in the NFL. Some will come back on practice squads, but this is the end of the line for many players.

The Steelers have many players vying for the active roster, but some are right on the bubble. It wouldn’t be shocking if those bubble players were cut or kept on the active roster. The Week 4 performances of the latter two players in this article may have propelled them to the 53-man roster — or at least the practice squad.

Mason Rudolph, QB

Mason Rudolph had already won the backup quarterback job in my opinion before Thursday night, but he took the opportunity to cement himself in the position. Rudolph completed seven of his 11 pass attempts for 125 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game with a 132.8 passer rating.

A handful of teams, like the Seattle Seahawks, only keep two quarterbacks on their roster. The Steelers won’t be one of those teams though. Ben Roethlisberger has a long and well-documented history of injuries. Even last season, Joshua Dobbs came into several games when Big Ben wasn’t feeling well.

It’s almost a guarantee that Rudolph will see some playing time this season after redshirting his rookie year.