The Steelers enter this offseason with a lot of issues on their team. Chief among them is what this team should do at quarterback. Kenny Pickett hasn’t shown a lot since entering the league, and most of what he has shown hasn’t been good. If this team wants to be a consistent winner, they need better play out of their quarterback.
While everyone seems to have a short list of who they want, I really wanted to dig into some names that I find intriguing. They may not be the best names available, but for one reason or another, I think they could work for this team. Here are the five most intriguing replacements for the Pickett in 2024.
Steelers could turn to Mason Rudolph
The Steelers feel-good story of this season, Mason Rudolph’s tumultuous time with the team finally paid off. He faced some backlash from Ben Roethlisberger after he was drafted, and following his very up-and-down second season, most of the fans seemed to have soured on him.
I was convinced that he would leave last offseason, but the rest of the league didn’t seem keen on him either, so he returned on a minimal contract. He wasn’t given a real shot to compete for anything other than the third spot on the depth chart, but injuries forced him into action.
He hasn’t disappointed. In fact, I would argue that he has played the position exactly how the Steelers wanted their quarterback to play. He didn’t force anything, allowed the run game to open up, and made the occasional big pass down the field.
Do I think that Rudolph has suddenly become a viable long-term answer? No, but he could be a cheap substitute as they look to draft that guy. I think that has some validity. He has surprised this season and could build off that if given the opportunity.