Surprisingly, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback position isn’t the weakest point on the roster heading into Week 6 of the season. It appears that General Manager Omar Khan remains in trade conversations around the league to improve his team. The number of trades completed during the past week may trigger new speculation, particularly as some quarterbacks join new teams.
Aaron Rodgers is the starter for the Steelers, barring injury, but his backup, Mason Rudolph, has made some eye-opening comments. Mark Kaboly mentioned on his recent Kaboly and Mack YouTube show that he notices some jealousy toward backup quarterbacks who recently earned starter roles after being traded. It might lead to a tough situation for the team and the veteran.
“It’s not a pretty situation,” Kaboly mentioned. “I looked at Rudolph yesterday and said, ‘Do you ever count the teams that you could be starting for right now?’ And he glared at me.”
While these comments could have been considered the insider just messing with the long-time backup, no one should look past them.
Rudolph has been a solid soldier for Pittsburgh, knowing he will never be a long-term starter for the franchise. He also realizes that many other quarterbacks around his talent level have seen success on the trade front and gained starting snaps once they are moved to a new team.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph might want a trade in a certain situation
Joe Flacco was just traded from Cleveland to Cincinnati in a desperate attempt to save the Bengals’ season. The Steelers won’t have easy games against either AFC North foe, but Flacco isn’t much better than Rudolph. Some might say Rudolph could be just as serviceable. Seeing a 40-year-old gunslinger get another chance to start has to leave a bitter taste in Rudolph’s mouth.
Pittsburgh could consider moving the veteran backup quarterback if the right trade market emerges.
“Pretty much every team in the AFC North, and there’s a bunch of other ones too,” Kaboly claimed.
No, Rudolph isn’t going to save the day for most teams, but if they suffer a significant injury to their starter, he could help. Taking over as the starter for a chunk of the season could be the perfect chance for the Steelers’ signal caller to try and find his footing in the NFL once more.
It would make sense for Pittsburgh if Rudolph decided there might be better opportunities elsewhere. The Steelers have quarterbacks on their roster who could turn out to be better options.
Their roster includes Skylar Thompson, who performed brilliantly during the preseason, and Will Howard, who received positive feedback before breaking his finger in training camp.
Rudolph has solidified the quarterback depth chart with a guy the Steelers know and who they can count on if Rodgers gets hurt. Thompson and Howard could be two players who make trading away Rudolph acceptable. Although Kaboly did not point to a trade request, Pittsburgh’s backup has surely seen the starting chances start to fade.
