Last year when the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Cleveland Browns, quarterback Mason Rudolph was right in the middle of things. He was leading the Steelers and then found himself in the middle of an all-out brawl. Rudolph was knocked over the head with his own helmet by Cleveland’s Myles Garrett. The teams meet again this Sunday. Is Rudolph still with the Steelers?

Mason Rudolph’s football career

Mason Rudolph played his college football at Oklahoma State as a quarterback for the Cowboys. He was a third-round selection in the 2018 NFL draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers took him with the 76th overall pick. He was the sixth overall quarterback taken.

During his rookie season, Rudolph made the team after Landry Jones was released. Rudolph became the third-string quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger and Joshua Dobbs. In that 2018 season, Rudolph never took a snap from center.

In 2019, Rudolph passed Dobbs on the depth chart and became the primary backup to Roethlisberger. When Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending elbow injury, Rudolph started eight games, going 5-3. He threw for 1,765 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had nine interceptions.

The Brawl against the Cleveland Browns

During Thursday Night Football in Week 11, the Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to Cleveland for a game against the Browns. With eight seconds left in the game, Rudolph completed a pass and was tackled late by Myles Garrett. The two were on the ground and got involved in an altercation that escalated quickly.

Garrett yanked Rudolph’s helmet off him and then hit the Steelers’ quarterback over the head with his own helmet. A fight ensued with multiple players getting ejected and suspended. The Browns won the game 21-7.

Later, Garrett said Rudolph directed a racial at him, prompting Garrett to go after him. The NFL investigated and found no evidence of a slur being used. Garrett was suspended indefinitely. “I thought it was cowardly and bush league,” Rudolph said after the game, according to Fox News. “There is plenty of tape out there to watch. I haven’t seen it yet and I don’t know what the rules are. I know it was bush league and a total coward move on his part. It’s OK, I’ll take it. I’m not going to back down from any bully out there. We will see what happens.”

Is Mason Rudolph still with the Pittsburgh Steelers?

A week after the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns fight, Rudolph started against the Cincinnati Bengals, who were still looking for their first win. Rudolph struggled mightily and was benched in favor of Devlin Hodges. Hodges rallied the Steelers to a 16-10 victory.

Rudolph and Hodges flip-flopped the last few games of the season. In Week 16 against the New York Jets, Rudolph replaced an ineffective Hodges, but left with a shoulder injury. He was eventually played on the injured reserved list.

This season, Roethlisberger has returned to reclaim his starting job. The Steelers are 4-0 and Roethlisberger has been both healthy and effective. Rudolph remains on the roster, along with Joshua Dobbs, as a backup quarterback. Steelers.com lists Rudolph as the No. 2 quarterback on the team.