Ben Roethlisberger may not have wanted Mason Rudolph from the start, but he liked what he saw in Rudolph’s first preseason game.
Via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the Steelers starter praised the third-rounder, who went 7-of-12 for 101 yards Thursday against the Eagles.
“Threw some really good footballs. The moment wasn’t too big for him,” Roethlisberger said. “I think he had fun and enjoyed it.”
After the draft, Roethlisberger didn’t embrace the idea of Rudolph with open arms, suggesting the team would have been better off with a player who could contribute more immediately.
And while parsing his comments about mentoring Rudolph backed that up, that’s since been settled and everyone’s happy.
For now, Rudolph is splitting third-string reps with Josh Dobbs (behind veteran backup Landry Jones), and making the most of his work.
“We had some good drives, we just kind of stalled and had a few miscommunications,” Rudolph said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to practice today and ironing out the mistakes and looking forward to Green Bay.”
And Roethlisberger said something nice about him, so he’s got that going for him.