While the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is still in flux with questions at the quarterback position, the organization can take solace in the fact that it isn’t set to lose any stars in free agency this upcoming cycle. In fact, Pittsburgh’s two highest-rated free agents in QB Mason Rudolph and CB Levi Wallace ranked outside the top 100 in The Athletic’s free agency rankings, with Rudolph checking in at No. 118 and Wallace coming in at No. 126.
The Steelers would presumably like to keep Rudolph, who started their final three regular-season games and Wild Card Round playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills. Rudolph was the best quarterback who played for the Steelers last season after being a third-stringer for the majority of the season, and his performance sent Kenny Pickett to the bench once the second-year pro returned from his ankle injury. With Rudolph’s performance and Pittsburgh’s stated desire to bring in competition for Pickett, retaining Rudolph makes the most sense, although there’s a question of whether he wants to come back.
Former NFL GM Randy Mueller wrote up Rudolph’s free agent bio, and thinks he profiles more as a backup than as a starter.
“Rudolph showed enough while starting the Steelers’ last three regular-season games to earn a shot to compete. He showed improved poise and pocket awareness to go with his impressive deep ball ability, which was evident in college at Oklahoma State. He is a viable backup in the right scheme.”
Rudolph was the sixth highest-rated free agent quarterback, actually finishing ahead of Jacoby Brissett (No. 131) and Gardner Minshew II (No. 127), as well as Joe Flacco (No. 134). If Pittsburgh isn’t able to re-sign Rudolph, look for someone like Brissett, Tyrod Taylor or Ryan Tannehill to be options for the team as veterans with starter experience who will also be fine coming off the bench.
As for Wallace, he’s unlikely to return to Pittsburgh unless he takes a veteran benefit contract. Wallace was solid in 2022 before struggling a bit in 2023, and he got pushed down the cornerback depth chart. The Steelers are likely going to address the position early in the draft and possibly through free agency as well, so they won’t be super aggressive in bringing Wallace back. While Mark Kaboly said they’d “love” to have Wallace back, he said the team will take its time and isn’t making him a priority.
“Wallace had six interceptions and 24 passes defensed in his two seasons with the Steelers, who would love to have him back but won’t consider him a high priority. He shouldn’t be in high demand, which would allow the Steelers to snoop around for somebody younger with more upside,” Kaboly said.
I don’t think you can expect much out of Cory Trice Jr. next year, but Darius Rush could potentially see more playing time while Joey Porter Jr. is locked in as a starter and Patrick Peterson could be back as well. Couple that with other outside additions, and Wallace won’t be anything more than depth if he does return next season.
The Steelers are the only team in the AFC North to not have a pending free agent in The Athletic’s top 100. The Baltimore Ravens lead the way with a whopping nine, including DL Justin Madubuike, who checks in at No. 3. The Bengals have four, including WR Tee Higgins, while the Browns have just one, EDGE Za’Darius Smith at No. 9.
This is an important offseason for the Steelers to continue to shape their roster without losing any significant pieces. But they need to figure out the quarterback situation first, and it will be very telling as to what they do to potentially bring back to Rudolph.
