Ben Roethlisberger Out for the Season With Elbow Injury
By Karl Rasmussen
Steelers fans had been holding their breath since Ben Roethlisberger exited Week 2's clash with the Seahawks due to an elbow injury. Well, an update has now been provided, and it's not good.
In a statement released by the team, head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that Big Ben will undergo elbow surgery this week, which will force him to miss the rest of the 2019 season. He's expected to be placed on injured reserve following the procedure.
Mike Tomlin statement: "Ben Roethlisberger had an MRI on his right elbow Sunday evening and it was determined by the Steelers’ medical team that surgery will be required. We expect the surgery will be scheduled for this week. He will be placed on (IR) and is out for the season."
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 16, 2019
This is a massive blow for the Steelers, who are sitting at 0-2 following losses to Seattle and New England, and will now be without their star quarterback for the rest of the campaign.
With Roethlisberger's season over, Mason Rudolph will take over as the team's No. 1 quarterback going forward. After beating out Josh Dobbs for the backup role over the offseason, Rudolph has now been thrust into starting duties just two weeks into the year.
On phone with a team personnel guy as he Roethlisberger news broke: “Obviously it’s a huge loss because of his experience and what he’s done but with the way Mason Rudolph played in the preseason and yesterday, they’ll be in better shape than a lot of other teams would be.”
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 16, 2019
Roethlisberger had just inked an extension with the Steelers, so the fact that he won't be on the field is a big loss. And at age 37, elbow surgery for a quarterback could be career-altering beyond simply this year.