The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to grind away at training camp during this 2022 preseason. The players are working hard and continuing to try to build towards the regular season and the team they want to be. The quarterback battle between Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and Kenny Pickett is as always the topic of discussion as this team tries its best to identify it's new signal-caller following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. However, the job may be thinning out.
Jordan Schofield-SteelerNation.com (@Jsko_Photo)
Earlier this week, rumors started swirling that Rudolph could be leaving the team via trade. Rudolph had been the primary backup to Roethlisberger since 2019, but the rumors started when Andrew Fillipponi tweeted this:
A former NFL GM told me he thinks Mason Rudolph could be traded to the Lions by the end of the week.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) August 15, 2022
Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan, Josh Rowntree chimed in on Rudolph's situation and the potential trade:
"With Mason, it's one of those situations where this just isn't trending in a right direction for him. I think he performed pretty well early on in camp, I thought he was probably, through the first two weeks, the best quarterback from a performance standpoint. Not necessarily where I would rank him on the depth chart, I thought he just made the most of the opportunities that he got. That has started to change a little bit, I think it really started to swing in that preseason game and now you have Mason Rudolph staring at the third string."
Rowntree continued by citing Fillipponi's report that Rudolph could potentially be traded to the Detroit Lions:
"I can tell you from conversations that I had today that I have heard that as well. Not necessarily by the end of the week, but there is definitely some buzz around the Detroit Lions and that name involving Mason Rudolph here in Latrobe.""We'll see, those could be talks that fizzle out within the next couple of days, they could heat up in the next couple of days. I have heard there is a desire for the Steelers to move Mason Rudolph at some point. I think everyone's kind of gotten that vibe. I think that's probably the right thing for all parties involved...It's just not a good fit right now. I think everyone would probably benefit from two quarterbacks here, and Mason Rudolph somewhere else."
Rowntree's full discussion can be viewed here.
Is a Rudolph Trade The Best Option For The Steelers?
So it seems only time will tell what will happen in this situation. Although all three have performed well, it does seem that Rudolph could be the odd man out, with the contract the Steelers gave Trubisky, and the high draft capital they spent on Pickett. Plus, if they can cash in on the buzz Rudolph has generated so far and turn it into to some mid round draft capital, that would be a win-win for both parties. The team also already has a quarterback ready to step in for third team reps in Chris Oladokun. As Rowntree stated, it definitely doesn't feel like a great fit right now.
Rudolph is certainly putting his best foot forward. He had a nice showing in the Steelers' first preseason game (despite being booed by fans), and has had a solid camp thus far. It is unclear whether he would be being traded to the Lions to start for them, or back up Jared Goff. Rudolph has had starting experience, with most of it coming in 2019 when Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. He has a 5-4-1 record as a starter. The rest of his stats can be seen here.
Jordan Schofield-SteelerNation.com (@Jsko_Photo)
The Lions could certainly use more depth behind Goff, and Rudolph could even provide potential competition for Goff. Again, I believe it could be a mutually beneficial situation for both parties. As Rowntree said however, it could happen or not happen, only time will tell. In the meantime, I'm sure Rudolph will try to block out any noise and continue to try and build on his successes in camp thus far.
What do you think, SteelerNation? Will Rudolph be a Steeler by the end of the preseason? Should he be? Let us know in the comment section below!
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