Washington Leaves Game Early with Injury; Rudolph Has Respectable Outing vs. Titans

James Washington has been one of the standouts for the Pittsburgh Steelers this preseason, but Saturday, he wasn’t able to showcase his wide range of talents after suffering an abdominal injury against the Tennessee Titans.

He left the game in the third quarter after he turned for a ball and injured himself, Washington said, and he did not return to action.

Early evaluations by the training staff and by Washington seem to be positive, however, with Post-Gazette reporter Ray Fittipaldo reporting his non-return was likely a precautionary measure.

James Washington said he injured his abdominal muscle when he turned for a ball. He does not believe it will keep him out much time at all. Described it as a precautionary measure.

— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) August 25, 2018

Washington finished with two targets and zero catches, which comes on the heels of a breakout in the second week of the preseason in which he scored twice and went over the century mark in yards receiving.

As for Washington’s former (and current) gunslinger, Mason Rudolph, he had a strong showing to bounce back well from his less-than-stellar performance last week in which he tossed an interception on his first attempt … that was promptly returned for a score the other way.

Rudolph went 7 of 11 for the evening and logged 65 yards, good for a 79.7 passer rating. He took the second most pass attempts on the night behind only Big Ben. Landry Jones, who is the presumptive backup, went 6 for 9 but logged an INT and a fumble, both of which should only strengthen Rudolph’s case for making a run at QB2.

Josh Dobbs, the QB the team selected in last year’s draft, did not record a passing or rushing attempt in the game, which would seem to indicate that Rudolph is all but a lock to make the 53-man roster when cuts are handed down ahead of the season.