Ben Roethlisberger was back on the field on Thursday, three days after undergoing surgery on his injured elbow that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the 2019 season. 

Roethlisberger, who had his procedure in Los Angeles on Monday, is clearly embracing his new role as a pseudo coach and mentor for a Pittsburgh offense that will look to get on track during Monday night's game against the also winless Cincinnati Bengals. 

"Just a great guy, out there supporting us," Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster told the media following practice, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "As a captain, he's going to be out there with us. Whether he's in the game or not in the game, he's helping us and dissecting the defense, and he tells us what he likes and we go off of that, with everyone's hand put in the pile."

Roethlisberger, in a team-issued statement following his injury, said that he is committed towards making a complete recovery in time for the start of the 2020 season. Big Ben, who will be 38 years old at the start of next season, also reinforced his desire to at least play out the remainder of his contract. 

"The Steelers committed three years to me this offseason and I fully intend to honor my contract and reward them with championship level play," he said. "I will do all I can to support Mason and the team this season to help win games. I love this game, my teammates, the Steelers organization and fans, and I feel in my heart I have a lot left to give." 

Rudolph, the team's third-round pick in the 2018 draft, went 14 of 27 for 174 yards that included a pair of second half touchdown passes and an interception in his first regular season start, a 24-20 setback to the undefeated 49ers in San Francisco. While Rudolph eventually warmed up to the competition, he and the offense's slow start last Sunday hindered the Steelers' opportunity to take full advantage of the four turnovers Pittsburgh's defense forced during the first half. The Steelers scored just six points off of those turnovers, while the 49ers' two touchdowns off of Pittsburgh turnovers in the second half proved to be the difference in the game. 

"Obviously, we can't be that slow starting in the first half," Rudolph told reporters after the game. "I gotta give our team and our defense more of a chance to put some points up early and get ahead. With all the turnovers they created, they played unbelievable and they did everything coached asked of them through the week, creating turnovers and flying around. We just gotta back them up. We gotta have their back."

Despite their 0-3 start, the Steelers remain optimistic that they can turn their season around. To do so, however, they will need to defeat a Bengals team that is also desperate for their first victory of the season. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are currently looking up at Cleveland (1-2) and Baltimore (2-1) in the AFC North division standings. Monday night's game will be each team's first inner-division matchup. 

"We just have to get this 'W,'" Pittsburgh defensive captain Cam Heyward said earlier this week. "That's all it comes down to. I don't care how it gets done, it has to get done. Our execution has to be flawless from here on out. Our room for error is out the window. We have to be perfect in everything we do, especially in practice. It's my job to keep us accountable. It's my job to keep guys ready for the opportunity. Both teams are 0-3 but one team is going to be 1-3 after this game.

"These next two weeks are very important. The road is right in front of us. We don't have to hope and pray for anybody to do it for us. We play each team twice in our division and we can gain ground that way. That is all we have to focus on."

While he can't help them with his on-field performance, it looks like Roethlisberger will continue to be a presence on the sideline while working with Rudolph, who continues to embrace his opportunity to learn from one of this era's best passers. 

"He's a legend. He's a future Hall of Famer and an unbelievable player," Rudolph said of Roethlisberger last week. "I truly do learn something every week from him, whether that be communication wise or just his creativity in no-huddle. He's a great player, and like I said, I'm going to continue to learn on him and meet with him as much as I can during the week however available he is."