The official start of free agency in the NFL is just around the corner, which will create a flurry of moves across the NFL landscape.
Prior to the start of free agency, we should see some moves from teams to lock up their own free agents before they hit the open market.
That could be the case for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a handful of lower-tier free agents. For CBS Sports, one player the Steelers simply can’t afford to let hit the open market and lose in free agency is quarterback Mason Rudolph.
In a piece for CBSSports.com Tuesday morning, Garrett Podell highlighted Rudolph as the one player the Steelers “can’t afford to lose” this offseason.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers offense functioned way better with Rudolph under center than 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett. Rudolph only started three regular season games, but in his small sample size, he and the Steelers offense were way more efficient,” Podell writes “He completed 74.6 percent of his passes, averaged 10.1 passing yards per attempt and had a 120.4 passer rating. All of those metrics ranked as best in the NFL among quarterbacks with 70 or more passing attempts in starts in 2023.”
Once Rudolph was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 16 against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers’ offense took off. In back-to-back weeks, Pittsburgh scored 30 or more points and had a true downfield passing attack, leading to some huge plays in the final three weeks of the season. Those included two long touchdowns from receiver George Pickens in the win over the Bengals, and then a 71-yard touchdown from Diontae Johnson in the regular-season finale.
The key with Rudolph under center was that he wasn’t afraid to take shots down the field and give his guys a chance to make a play. He also hung in the pocket under pressure to make big-time throws, something that Kenny Pickett simply wasn’t doing.
Though the likes of team owner Art Rooney II, head coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan have stated publicly that they still believe in Pickett and view him as QB1, there is a desire to bring back Rudolph as “competition” to push — and potentially replace — Pickett, should the third-year quarterback falter at any point.
Rudolph’s return will ultimately be up to him. He could be seeking a fresh start elsewhere after six seasons in Pittsburgh, which would be understandable. But the Steelers are going to do everything they can to bring him back, and rightfully so. He showed something in the final three regular-season games and the playoff loss, something the team hadn’t seen from him to that point.
