The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very interesting quarterback situation unfolding, specifically with the backups. Of the three in competition, Mason Rudolph is the only one with any sort of in-game experience. While that should give him an edge, it's also a double-edged sword as developing the young guys is arguably more important than keeping a veteran around. It doesn't help that Drew Allar is a third-round rookie, so it's practically confirmed that he will not be released. The position group as a whole will have a large microscope placed upon it.
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Steelers QBs Aaron Rodgers, Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and Drew Allar throw the ball in the 2026 offseason.
The Steelers have made it clear that they would prefer to not lose any of them. If one did have to go, they would probably try to do so via trade. In his latest column on Bleacher Report, Moe Moton explained the most likely package that a team would give up to acquire Rudolph.
"Rudolph isn't a full-time starting-caliber signal-caller, but he can lead a respectable offense in short stretches," Moton wrote. "Estimated trade value: 2027 fifth-round pick, 2028 seventh-round pick."
A fifth- and a seventh-round pick is not the least bit exciting, but at the same time, it's better than nothing. That is also most likely more than what the Steelers would get from letting him walk in free agency and picking up a future compensatory pick for, if it were to get to that point. At the very least, those picks could be used in a deal to trade up in the 2027 draft and get the guy that Pittsburgh truly wants.
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Steelers Quarterback Coach Mike Sullivan worked well with the Steelers QBs over the last few seasons, attempting to maximize their upside despite a limited playbook with Matt Canada
People have argued that Rudolph should be QB2 over Will Howard because of experience, but the only way for the young guy to get experience and develop is to be that next man up. Instead of just making the veteran quarterback the emergency third-string guy or releasing him, they could do right by him and send him to a team that would need an experienced signal-caller like him.
Injuries happen in training camp and preseason all the time. There is always the chance that a guy like Davis Mills has something unfortunate happen, which would prompt the Houston Texans to call Pittsburgh up and ask about Rudolph's availability. Obviously, the hope is that it never comes to injuries, but if it does, the Steelers will likely have their phones up, ready to discuss business.
Steelers Have Done A Very Similar Deal Before
In 2019, the Steelers had another backup quarterback battle between Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs, and Devlin "Duck" Hodges. Dobbs won the battle, which led to Hodges being released initially. However, that ended up being short-lived. "The Passtronaut" was the third-string quarterback as Pittsburgh explored the trade market to see if they could possibly get some value out of him.
Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers quarterbacks Josh Dobbs (#5) and Mason Rudolph (#2) look on together during a practice.
In Week 1, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost starting quarterback Nick Foles to a major injury. While then-rookie Gardner Minshew was holding his own as a starter, the Jaguars still saw the need to add more depth just in case more unfortunate circumstances popped up. That's when they called up the Steelers about acquiring Dobbs to be the backup and possibly a mentor as well.
The Steelers traded Dobbs to the Jaguars for a fifth-round pick and signed Hodges back to the active roster to be the third-string quarterback. That ended up working well, as the duck was needed to fill in for a handful of games. He won his first three contests before a rough end to that season. Ironically, he was later replaced on the 2020 roster by Dobbs after he was brought back after the 2020 preseason.
What do you think about Rudolph's trade value, as well as the previous trade with the Jaguars? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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