Ex-Steelers Quarterback Mason Rudolph Named Titans Starter
The Tennessee Titans are planning to name Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback over Will Levis for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Levis, a second-round pick by the Titans in 2023, has failed to live up to his potential. In 11 games, Levis has completed 63.7% of his passes for 1,916 yards with 12 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 79.8%. Levis has not thrown a touchdown pass in the last two games.
Levis is averaging 1.6 Turnovers a game this season. That is the most by any QB that has played 11+ games in a season since Jameis Winston’s 30:30 campaign in 2019, according to The 33rd Team.
The 3-11 Titans have struggled all season, and are hoping that Rudolph can provide some kind of spark in their final three games.
This could be an audition for Rudolph to see what the Titans do moving forward. They could be at a crossroads with Levis after two seasons. NFL teams move on quick from quarterbacks if they don’t see potential. Just look at what the Steelers did with Kenny Pickett.
In relief, Rudolph led Tennessee to a 31-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Week 4.
Rudolph entered in the first quarter after Levis was injured. Levis suffered a shoulder injury and was ruled as questionable to return, but did not. Rudolph completed 9 of 17 passes for 85 yards, with his longest completion a 27-yarder to Tyler Boyd.
Rudolph started the next three games for the Titans against the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots. The Titans went 1-2 during that stretch, defeating the Patriots in overtime. Rudolph had a 4-4 touchdown-interception ratio in the three-game span. He did OK against Buffalo and New England, but he really struggled against Detroit, as he threw two interceptions and had a 66.3 quarterback rating.
Rudolph replaced Levis in the Titans’ Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He completed 80.8% of his passes for 209 yards with two touchdowns, one interception, and a quarterback rating of 109.8.
Rudolph signed a one-year, $2.87 million contract with the Titans this offseason. He beat out former third-round pick Malik Willis for the No. 2 spot in training camp and the preseason.
Rudolph, 28, was drafted in the third round by the Steelers out of Oklahoma State in 2018. He spent six seasons in Pittsburgh, playing in 21 games and making 13 starts. In six seasons with Pittsburgh, Rudolph completed 63.5% of his passes for 3,085 yards, 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 86.9.
His most extensive playing time came in 2019, when he was the backup to Ben Roethlisberger and was thrust into a starting role when Roethlisberger was lost for the season to an elbow injury in the first half of Week 2.
Rudolph started eight games and completed 176 of 283 passes (62.2%) for 1,765 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and an 82.0 passer rating. Rudolph dealt with two injuries of his own that forced him from action, and he was benched at one point during the season for former fourth-stringer Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
Rudolph’s career was at a crossroad in 2023. He even admitted that he thought about his life’s work, complementing retirement and pursuing a career in commercial real estate. All it took was one chance for Rudolph to resurrect his career. After replacing Mitch Trubisky in Week 16, he completed 55 of 75 (74.3%) for 719 yards (10.5 yards per attempt) and a 118.0 quarterback rating. He led the Steelers to three straight victories and a playoff spot, before losing in the Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills.
Despite Rudolph’s strong play down the stretch last season, there was no official contract offer on the table for Rudolph from the Steelers. Rudolph decided minutes after Russell Wilson signed he wasn’t coming back.
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