The Mason Rudolph Experience regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers is quite the story for all parties involved.
Rudolph has had a remarkable career arc in Pittsburgh, going from a quarterback the fan base despised to now being viewed as the savior, with many attempting to make the case for him to be the starter in 2024. But for Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, the Steelers simply can’t let that be the case, even if the franchise wins a playoff game with Rudolph.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show Tuesday with co-hosts Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson, Spielberger stated that the Rudolph situation is a nice story for now, but the Steelers have to make a massive move in the offseason at the quarterback position to find their next starting quarterback.
“They need to make a massive move at quarterback this offseason, whether it’s going after a free agent or making a draft pick in the first or second round,” Spielberger said regarding the Steelers’ quarterback situation. “The whole Rudolph story is actually the fact that the Kenny [Pickett] era is over, and they’ve decided that, they’ve moved on, and they need to figure out what they’re gonna do for Week One, 2024.
“It should be a top-50 draft pick, or a Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson, whatever.”
The Steelers have to do something at the quarterback position moving forward, considering they went through three starters this season. Of course, many believed that Pickett’s struggles this season were tied to Matt Canada’s offense, and some of that was backed up when Pickett had his best game of his career in the game after Canada was fired.
But even then, the Steelers only scored 16 points in that game. In two games with Rudolph, the Steelers have scored 30 or more points each time and have gotten a number of explosive plays through the air, something that wasn’t exactly happening with Pickett under center.
The Rudolph story is certainly a fun one, and he’s earned the right to compete for the starting job in 2024, but the Steelers also certainly can’t just run it back with Pickett and Rudolph. Drafting a quarterback might be required or a swing on an established veteran in free agency.
Fact is though, the Steelers won’t find themselves in the Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins market like Spielberger wants them to be. The Pickett era might not even be over, either, despite the Steelers sticking with Rudolph with Pickett healthy again.
All indications point to Pickett being QB1 entering 2024, at least right now. The Steelers aren’t going to give up on him entirely just yet. But the Steelers do need to be aggressive at the position in the offseason, that much is certain. We’ll see if they actually do it.
