Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Anthony Richardson Sr.

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.

Saturday, July 26, 7:44 PM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. "was with the starters to begin 11-on-11 work" on Saturday, with Daniel Jones working with the second team. Both players will continue to compete for the starting job throughout training camp and into Week 1. However, it appears Richardson has the early edge, although that can certainly change moving forward. The signal-caller has struggled since entering the National Football League as the No. 4 overall selection in the 2023 draft, throwing for 2,391 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while adding 111 carries for 635 yards and 10 scores. With that in mind, Richardson's durability is an issue, appearing in 15 regular-season games in his first two seasons, so he may need to rely more on his arm during the 2025 campaign. Unfortunately, he's completed only 50.6% of his throws, which could make that more difficult. At any rate, managers should monitor things in the weeks ahead, but it's safe to say neither player can be trusted fully to spearhead a fantasy team.