Since the end of the 2022 NFL Draft, it has been stated on numerous occasions that the battle to become the Pittsburgh Steelers starting QB will be between Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and Kenny Pickett. Still, while Pickett has been running with the third team offense as he adjusts to the NFL after coming out of college and Trubisky adjusts to a new environment after coming over as a backup in Buffalo last season, the three-man QB race has been painted more as a battle between Pickett and Trubisky with Rudolph not getting any love at all.
This can be expected somewhat as Trubisky and Pickett are the shiny new toys, bringing that optimism and sense of the unknown at the QB position where Steelers fans already have seen Rudolph play and know what he is and what his isn’t.
Still, when asked by Chase Claypool about how Rudolph has stood out to him in camp thus far through two days of practice, he mentioned that we all may be sleeping on the longest-tenured member of the QB room in Pittsburgh.
“Mason, all the receivers say, he’s one of the most accurate quarterbacks,” Claypool said Friday before practice according to a tweet posted by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “It’s crazy how accurate he is. He doesn’t get enough praise and attention. He’s just as in the running as each of those guys.”
Personally, I know that I have written off Rudolph at times this offseason as a non-contender for the starting gig, suggesting the Pittsburgh should actually explore the trade market for him and see if they can recoup any draft capital for him, as he is on the last year of his deal.
Still, Rudolph has been touted since the additions of Pickett and Trubisky as the third man in the race and will get every opportunity to earn the starting job this summer with his performance in training camp as well as preseason action. He was praised yesterday by Mike Tomlin after practice, saying that he has “taken advantage of the opportunities” given to him thus far. OC Matt has also sung Rudolph’s praises early on in training camp, saying that he will be given a fair shot to win the starting QB job.
“He’s made a lot of plays at times,” Canada said on Rudolph according to 93.7 The Fan. “He’s played very well at times. He has a great shot at it, he’s being treated that way. His history with our players & system is a positive for him.”
Rudolph has arguably been the most accurate quarterback through two days of training camp, which is backed by Claypool’s statement as well as Alex Kozora’s reporting from Latrobe. There is still a lot of race yet to be run and the pads will add another element to the mix, but perhaps Rudolph, who has a winning record (5-4-1) in his limited exposure as the Steelers’ starting QB, should be considered more as a legitimate option to win the starting job.
