Earlier this season, some felt that Mason Rudolph could ultimately end up being Ben Roethlisberger's successor under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers once Roethlisberger decides to retire.

Now, there seems to be a chance that Rudolph won't even make it through the year.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Steelers are “headed in the direction” of a quarterback change after Rudolph was benched for Devlin Hodges during the third quarter of Pittsburgh's win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

While Rapoport says there is “nothing final” just yet, you can see why the Steelers are thinking about making a swap.

Rudolph has struggled mightily over the last two weeks, completing just 31 of his 60 throws for one touchdown and five interceptions. With the Steelers sitting at 6-5 and smack dab in the middle of the AFC playoff picture, the club needs to do what is best for itself in the stretch run, so moving away from Rudolph may be the best course of action.

That means that Hodges, who got the start back in Week 6 while Rudolph was sidelined with a concussion, may end up taking the reins for the final five games of the regular season.

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On Sunday, Devlin Hodges went 5-for-11 with 118 yards and a touchdown, and in his lone start, he completed 15 of his 20 passes for 132 yards, a touchdown and a pick in a 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Rudolph has tallied 1,636 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while completing 61.6 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 80.3 in nine appearances and eight starts in 2019.

The Steelers selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.