Dak Prescott Injured; Could Cowboys Want Mason Rudolph?

Dak Prescott suffered a thumb injury that will require surgery on Monday, and he is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks for the Cowboys. With Cooper Rush now slated to step into the Cowboys, Dallas could call on Will Grier to backup Rush, but there is also something else that could happen. Could Dallas call Pittsburgh about Mason Rudolph?

Rudolph brushed off any trade rumors aside that could have arisen right away once he lost the starting quarterback job. However, while Rudolph is handling it all with class, this is a step back for the veteran. He no longer gets a helmet on game days, and he is almost in an exclusive mentorship role at this point. Rudolph could ride it out, but he may welcome a move away from Pittsburgh, too.

“Those are decisions that are between my agent and Omar (Khan) and the front office,” Rudolph said. “I’m going to leave that to those guys. For now, I’m on this team and I’ll do the best I can to help the guys prepare and do everything I can from a mental perspective to help the other two guys if they need any help.”

Rush has struggled during his limited playing time with the Cowboys, and entered the game against the Buccaneers after the injury. He finished the day going for 64 passing yards while putting up a passer rating of 67.5. He is limited in what he can do and is not as natural of a game manager as someone like Rudolph. Quite honestly, Rush is not even a high-level backup quarterback. That situation looks bleak for Dallas.

So, with Rudolph in limbo in Pittsburgh and Dallas needing an upgrade at backup quarterback as well as a short-term starter, could Rudolph be the man? It certainly makes a lot of sense. For one, Rudolph would bring stability to the room, and give the Cowboys a spot starter-worthy backup if traded. So, Rudolph solves two issues in one trade. He gives the Cowboys an upgrade at backup quarterback and can be the starter to fill in the void for Prescott.

Then, there is the question of what will the cost end up being. The Steelers should aim for something around a fourth-round pick. That helps them accrue more draft capital, and getting that much of note for the third-string quarterback on the depth chart is always a win. From the Steelers’ perspective, the only thing to be tentative about here is that in the case of injury, having Rudolph around is a huge boon to confidence throughout the season. But if the Cowboys are willing to offer that much, it is hard to turn down.

Simply put, this fit makes sense from a needs fit and a cultural perspective on both sides. Rudolph’s steady stability that he comes with may not be all that appealing to the Steelers who want to aim through the ceiling, but for the Cowboys, it could be the force that gets them through Prescott’s injury. At the very least, the Steelers should hear out a potential offer.

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m: Dallas is indeed interested in adding a quarterback to the roster, head coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday.