Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman vows to play again following injury

Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Tyson Alualu is looking forward to a strong offseason coming off of his season-ending injury. Alualu has vowed to return to the Steelers better than ever.

“I definitely don’t plan to go out this way,” Alualu wrote on Instagram. “So I’m working harder and smarter for a great comeback to contribute in (season) 13.”

Alualu, a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010 out of Cal, has spent the last five years with the Steelers. The defensive lineman is under contract with the Steelers for 2022 and his ankle injury doesn’t change that. He played just four snaps at the beginning of this season.

“I understand that God’s plan is always best, so I know without a doubt that I’m coming back better & stronger,” Alualu continued. “Truly appreciative of my family, teammates, coaches, the fans, and this city for the love and support they show on and off the field. Blessed to be a part of this brotherhood and do what I love for a living. God is good, God is great! It’s Always Love. Looking forward to the grind back #timetowork”

The 34-year-old signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal with Pittsburgh last year. He posted 39 tackles with two sacks in 2020.

Mason Rudolph makes case for Steelers QB1

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph believes that he should be the successor to Ben Roethlisberger should he retire. And on Wednesday, as a guest on Steelers Live, he explained why.

“Yeah,” Rudolph said. “I think you know the game experience that I have had, obviously. I think I have developed from 2019 when I had that stint of games. But anytime you don’t see you know the opportunity fully, there’s going to be question marks. But no I think, obviously playing games, experience is the best teacher, but being the backup quarterback, I think there’s value in that.”

After sitting his rookie season behind Ben Roethlisberger, Rudolph was thrust into the fire after the vet went down early in the 2019 season. Roethlisberger started in the first two games but missed the rest of the year after having elbow surgery.

During that season, Rudolph put up decent numbers. He started in 10 games, completing 176 of his 283 passes, for 1765 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this report.