The move to bring back veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph on a two-year deal didn’t generate a lot of buzz around the NFL, but inside the locker room of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a move that had quite a bit of fanfare.
Arguably, nobody was happier to have Rudolph back in the Steel City than third-year tight end Darnell Washington.
Appearing on a live stream with Zach’s Tech Turf, in which the host was building a PC for Washington to stream on, the big, physical tight end answered some questions regarding his career. One of those questions was about Rudolph’s return, which led to Washington revealing what their relationship was like and how much Rudolph had meant to him in his career.
“I feel like Mason, to me, he was one of the first mentors I had coming into the league. His locker, it was to the left of mine, and I heard he was going right back. So, he was the first locker buddy I had. And before even that, also in camp, we were locker buddies,” Washington said of his relationship with Rudolph, according to video via the stream. “…So I feel like he just helped me and, like, definitely before practice going over the plays, if it was like a signal I needed help with or a play I needed help with, or how he coached me of like how to run this route, this is what to expect. This is their timing if they’re gonna five-step drop, so I have time to work a defender or things like that.
“So he for sure helped me a lot. So, love him, man.”
Washington spent just one season with Rudolph, but that bond generated during Washington’s rookie season was quite strong.
While Rudolph didn’t play much during the 2023 season until late, and Washington wasn’t much of a factor offensively as a receiver, Rudolph was that guiding presence in the locker room for younger players like Washington. He helped him grasp the playbook, taught him little nuances as a route runner to better align with quarterbacks and timing routes, and more.
Late in the season, once Rudolph took over as the starter, Washington started to see more playing time. He saw two of his three-highest snap counts on the season in Weeks 17 and 18 as the Steelers won three straight games down the stretch to get into the playoffs.
Washington also had one catch for eight yards with Rudolph under center, which came in Week 16 in the blowout win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Here’s that catch from Rudolph.
Now, with Rudolph back in the fold, Washington has some familiarity with a guy who could potentially be the starting quarterback to open the year, depending on what happens with the Aaron Rodgers’ situation. Rudolph is respected in the locker room and has good relationships with many players.
Being back next to Washington in the locker room could help the third-year tight end take another big step forward in Arthur Smith’s offense, which bodes well for the Steelers.
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