Who Should I Start? Cooper Rush or Mason Rudolph

Sunday, March 16, 12:16 PM

Former Dallas Cowboys free-agent quarterback Cooper Rush agreed on Sunday to a two-year deal worth up to $12.2 million with the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Rush now becomes the new backup to starter Lamar Jackson. The 31-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan debuted in the NFL in 2017 with the Dallas Cowboys and has spent all seven of his seasons in the league with Dallas. Rush saw his most run in 2024 after Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending torn hamstring. The veteran signal-caller played in 12 games (eight starts) and completed 60.7 percent of his 308 pass attempts for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Rush has 3,463 career passing yards with 20 TDs and 10 interceptions in 38 games played (14 starts). He's unlikely to see the field much in Baltimore, with Jackson missing one game in the last two seasons.

Wednesday, May 28, 11:59 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph opened OTAs with the first-team offense on Tuesday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. This news isn't much of a surprise, but it does confirm head coach Mike Tomlin's vision as full-team practices get underway this summer. Presumably, the starting quarterback job is Rudolph's to lose, barring an external quarterback addition such as Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. Rudolph's internal competition comes from Skylar Thompson and rookie Will Howard. Thompson has completed just 58.7 percent of his career passes with one touchdown, three interceptions, and two fumbles. He primarily served as a backup over three seasons in Miami. Meanwhile, Howard is a rookie who impressed at Ohio State, but he has suboptimal draft capital as a sixth-round pick. On the other hand, Rudolph has shown flashes of potential during his time with the Steelers (2018-2023) and Titans (2024). In Tennessee last year, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions.