The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Detroit Lions in both teams' final preseason game of the year on Sunday afternoon. Typically, the final warm up game before the regular season for organizations has the front office and coaching staff focusing solely on evaluating their players in order to trim the roster from 80 to 53 the following week. This game, however, could be a bit different as Detroit may be in the market for a backup quarterback while the Steelers, although general manager, Omar Khan said trading a signal-caller is not on his agenda as the regular season approaches, may decide to move on from Mason Rudolph.
Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Lions head coach, Dan Campbell spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon and did not rule out the possibility of the team looking around for quarterback depth. The current starter is Jared Goff; the only two quarterbacks behind him are Tim Boyle and David Blough. It's safe to say that if Goff were to get injured, the team would most likely need to go out and add to the room regardless. Campbell did not say no when asked about the situation:
"There’s always a possibility. That goes with any position. I mean, we’re still number two on the claim list. So, at the end of this, there’s nothing to say that just because somebody has made our roster that they’re staying that way. And those guys know that, they understand that."
Campbell has been known to be very blunt since taking the coaching job in Detroit and the fact that he did not put full faith in his quarterbacks room and left the possibility on the team could mean there may be a move from the Lions as early as next week if both Boyle and Blough perform poorly against the Steelers.
On the Steelers end, Rudolph is likely to play the majority of the second half on Sunday and Campbell and the front office will get a great look at someone who would immediately boost their depth at the position. While Rudolph has never been a formidable starter in the NFL, he holds a winning record of 5-4-1. The Lions got a chance to watch him last year when the two teams tied at Heinz Field. He was 30/50 for 242 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Many fans like to blame Rudolph for the tie and even though he didn't play well, if Pat Freiermuth didn't fumble late in overtime, the game would have most likely been over shortly after.
Steelers tight end, Pat Freiermuth (#88) at 2022 training camp. | Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
In terms of what it would take to get a deal done, the answer is not much. The Lions have two sixth-round picks in 2023 and Rudolph, on the final year of his contract, would probably be worth only that in terms of trade value. The Steelers are missing a 2023 fifth-round pick because of last year's trade to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, so any additional draft capital would be helpful for next April.
Would Rudolph being traded out to Detroit be a perfect match? He would improve their QB room and get a fresh start elsewhere as the Steelers move onto the next chapter of quarterbacks in Pittsburgh. One thing is for sure and that is both teams will be keeping a close eye on and evaluating Rudolph on Sunday afternoon.
What are your thoughts on moving on from Rudolph and sending him to Detroit for a late-round draft pick? Let us know in the comments below!
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