Mason Rudolph
Mason Rudolph
Player: QB Mason Rudolph
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Mason Rudolph was emphatically among the winners of the Steelers’ loss to the Jets, thanks to how the others performed. Based on the showings from Drew Allar and especially Will Howard, it’s clear that Rudolph is the best backup option. Mike McCarthy said before the game he’d seen all he needed to see from Rudolph. That’s probably even more true now.
If there is a player-centric form of “winning the bye week”, then Mason Rudolph just won his. While the Steelers played, and lost, he certainly emerged on top. Ostensibly in a roster battle, he watched the Steelers’ other backup quarterbacks underperform. Or at the very least, they did not play in a way that inspired confidence as the quarterback one snap away from starting a game.
HC Mike McCarthy gradually warmed up to Mason Rudolph throughout the offseason. He went from not acknowledging his existence to volunteering praise and acknowledging he underestimated him. Now it appears he feels comfortable enough in Rudolph that he barely needs to see him play.
At least that is the assumption that most have drawn. If McCarthy isn’t playing him in the final two preseason games, that must mean he is set on Rudolph as the backup quarterback. Whether that’s true or not, it probably drew closer to the truth on Friday. Neither Will Howard nor Drew Allar looked like they were ready to take Rudolph’s job.
With just one game left, it’s probably too late for Howard to blow the doors off to the extent that the Steelers would feel comfortable not only naming him the backup, but cutting Mason Rudolph. And if Rudolph isn’t the backup, I don’t think they bother keeping him. Of course, some have floated the idea of retaining him on the practice squad, but that assumes he can’t land a preferable opportunity on another 53-man roster.
Throughout the offseason, though, Rudolph has done nothing that indicates he is not the Steelers’ best quarterback not named Aaron Rodgers. Drew Allar may have more talent, but he is clearly very much in the learning process. Rudolph might be envious of the tools he has at his disposal as a rookie, compared to his own experience. But approaching a full decade in the league, he knows who he is as a player. And so does Mike McCarthy.
With the 2026 training camp here and many moves made, we have stock to take. Already promisinga year of change, the Steelers have shaken things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation has fundamentally changed this football team, including the players on the roster.
After a long season, the Steelers showed the ability to win the division and make the playoffs. But they also showed that their progress was minimal,since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are that they ended the season on a higher note and won the AFC North. But it didn’t help.