The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially moved on from their top three quarterbacks from the last two seasons. It started when Omar Khan cut Mitch Trubisky on February 12th, and it continued when the Steelers elected to sign Russell Wilson. Mike Tomlin publicly stated there would be a quarterback competition, but reportedly privately advised Kenny Pickett that Wilson would start the process with the first string. Pickett did not like that, so Khan and Tomlin sent him to the Philadelphia Eagles and promptly traded with the Chicago Bears to replace him with Justin Fields.
Matthew Sunday
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger (#7) and Mason Rudolph (#2) stand on the field during training camp.
Before Pickett was traded, Mason Rudolph signed a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans to compete with Malik Willis for the right to backup Will Levis. Rudolph has a small, rabid fan base that cannot accept that he is no longer in Pittsburgh. It is just the latest gripe of the Rudolph fan club, who have been complaining that the former third-round draft pick never got a fair shake from the Steelers during his time in Pittsburgh since he got an opportunity to replace Ben Roethlisberger during the 2019 season.
The president of the Rudolph fan club, Mark Kaboly from The Athletic, was excoriated by Adam Crowley on Tuesday's The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 KDKA FM. Crowley roared his disapproval over Kaboly's take that the Steelers' quarterback room was not as well off without Rudolph as they were with him to his co-host Dorin Dickerson. He also voiced his displeasure on X.
#Steelers insider @MarkKaboly says the #Steelers aren't better off at QB than they were last year. "Now, if Mason Rudolph would’ve stayed on, that would’ve been best." WHAT?!
— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) April 2, 2024
Crowley made a fair point that retaining Rudolph, as opposed to the recently acquired Kyle Allen as Pittsburgh's potential third-string quarterback, was the key factor in determining the success of the 2024 roster. Kaboly tried to save face by replying to Crowley's post.
Actually, he said entire room would be better as a group if he was still there with Wilson and Fields
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) April 2, 2024
Those who advocate for Rudolph, like Kaboly, fail to understand a basic fact. Right or wrong, the Steelers and Tomlin did not want to be in the Rudolph business. Pittsburgh turned to him out of desperation after burying him on the depth chart in 2022 and signing him to a minimum contract to be the emergency option in 2023. When he got his chance, he performed admirably and earned north of a 350% raise in free agency. He also opened Tomlin's eyes to Pickett's limitations in the process.
the Pat McAfee show
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly (middle) joins Pat McAfee (left ) and AJ Hawk (right) from the league meetings in Arizona.
That should be seen as a win for both sides, but it isn't. Crowley was incredulous that the veteran Steelers beat writer and frequent guest on The Pat McAfee Show looked past the top two spots on the depth chart and was basing his analysis on the quarterback room's overall strength. The Fan Morning Show host could not understand why Kaboly would not concede the point and doubled down.
"Given the play of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields the past couple of seasons, are the Steelers that much better at QB than they were? — Mark K.
— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) April 2, 2024
No, not right now."
Social media reactions favored Crowley's argument. Multiple fans posted that Kaboly was off base with his analysis. Some even suggested that The Athletic writer had a hard time being neutral when it came to Rudolph.
Mark’s love of Mason Rudolph may only be surpassed by his love of wrestling. He has no impartiality on anything Mason. Wilson and Fields are light years better than Kenny and Mitch (admittedly, that may not be saying much), making QB3 irrelevant.
— Zach Guerrieri (@zguerrs) April 2, 2024
That’s just crazy talk
— Vincent Tiberi (@VincentMTiberi) April 2, 2024
We’ve seen enough of Mason… appreciated his work last year, but that’s above his norm.
Kaboly is taking his lumps on X for what amounts to a hot take in support of Rudolph. Objectively, Wilson, even at 35, is better than Pickett was in 2023. It could be argued that Fields was better than Pickett, but if you limit it to Fields versus Trubisky, he wins the battle of former Bears quarterbacks by a wide margin.
Steelers' New Third String Quarterback Kyle Allen Compares Favorably To Mason Rudolph
The gap is so substantial at the top of the depth chart that Rudolph would have to outpace Allen by an extensive margin to balance the scales in Kaboly's favor. He doesn't. Allen has started 19 games in the NFL, thrown 26 touchdowns, and passed for over 4,700 yards. Rudolph has started 13 games during his career and has thrown 19 touchdown passes for just over 3,000 yards.
It is conceivable that he would pass Allen's numbers in six more starts, but it would not be a substantial difference. Rudolph delivered a lasting positive memory for the Steelers with a three-game winning streak that resurrected the 2023 season and got them back to the playoffs.
Kaboly and the legions of Rudolph fans should be happy he is getting a chance to earn a more significant role in Tennessee. It was never going to happen in Pittsburgh. A little unsolicited advice for the fans who are still litigating Rudolph's career in Pittsburgh: root for the guys who are actually on the team.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? What side of the argument are you on, Crowley or Kaboly? Please comment below or on my X: @thebubbasq.
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