Despite what future Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald hopes will occur later this summer, the fact remains that free-agent pickup Mitchell Trubisky is widely viewed as the favorite to be the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers for Week 1 in September over career backup Mason Rudolph and first-round draft choice Kenny Pickett.
The statuses of Rudolph and Pickett aren’t quite as clear.
Last month, multiple insiders publicly suggested the Steelers could and eventually will look to trade Rudolph to a team in need of a signal-caller, in part so that Pickett can serve as Trubisky’s primary backup. For a piece published on Wednesday, though, Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review argued the Steelers need to hold onto Rudolph beyond the preseason that will wrap up in late August.
“Assuming there are no injuries and Trubisky and Pickett have solid training camps, it could potentially mean Rudolph won’t be on the roster by the time the season opens Sept. 11 in Cincinnati,” Adamski noted. “But that’s no sure thing. Of course, injury or preseason ineffectiveness to or by Pickett or Trubisky could lead to an opportunity for Rudolph. But aside from that, if seventh-round pick Chris Oladokun doesn’t prove NFL ready in camp, Rudolph could be a useful part of the top three.
“It was only three years ago, after all, the Steelers learned firsthand how quickly a QB room can be decimated: Injuries to Roethlisberger and Rudolph and the early season trade of Josh Dobbs left undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges to start. So, count on Rudolph to — at least — make it to September with the Steelers.”
It’s also worth noting that the current market for Rudolph may, to put it nicely, be nonexistent, so Pittsburgh keeping the 26-year-old around until the trade deadline approaches could ultimately benefit everyone involved.
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