Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Anthony Richardson

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.

Friday, June 6, 3:08 PM

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (shoulder) isn't dealing with any structural damage to his surgically-repaired right shoulder after he recently reported soreness in the same arm that he had surgery on in 2023 to fix his AC joint. Richardson went hard this offseason in terms of throwing the football and reported soreness at organized team activities, causing the Colts to shut him down through next week's mandatory minicamp. For now, the former first-rounder will rest up, and he fully expects to be ready for training camp at the end of July. This doesn't mean Richardson can't still win the QB battle with Daniel Jones in camp, but it certainly doesn't help his chances and puts him behind the eight ball. Richardson has the higher fantasy ceiling than Jones for sure, but injuries and questions about him as a passer have really tanked his value going into 2025.