Mason Rudolph in Battle for Backup Job with Titans

Mason Rudolph is in a competition for the backup job in Tennessee, and he is far from guaranteed to win that job as reps shake out.

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in a playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 15, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Mason Rudolph left the Pittsburgh Steelers to head to the Tennessee Titans for greener pastures after the Steelers decided to sign Russell Wilson. At the time, Rudolph may not have known that the team would trade Kenny Pickett on top of that, leading to Pittsburgh acquiring Justin Fields and signing Kyle Allen. As a result, they overhauled the entire quarterback room in one offseason.

With Will Levis as the starter in Tennessee, it was not crazy to think that Rudolph could find playing time this season if things go south for Levis. However, he is competing for the backup job with Malik Willis, where the backup reps are split evenly between Willis and Rudolph to this point.

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph

“It’s a fair competition. They’re going to both get a fair shake at the two job, and we’re both up front with both those guys telling ’em that’s how it’s going to work. They’ll split reps pretty evenly. They’ll get a chance to play quite a bit in the preseason, and that’s usually where it separates is the game action when you really get the evaluation,” head coach Brian Callahan said.

Mason Rudolph seems to be in a spot where he could be the QB3 for the Titans if Willis takes the steps necessary to be him out. Rudolph, Mitch Trubisky, and Pickett profile as backups this season with their new clubs while the Steelers work with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to decide who is the better of the two quarterbacks.

Rudolph ended his Pittsburgh tenure on a scorching last three games in the regular season to push them into the playoffs. While they came up short against the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs, Rudolph did enough to parlay that into a free agent deal with the Titans.

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