Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Bo Nix

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.

Sunday, June 8, 1:34 PM

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw the second-most touchdown passes by a rookie QB in NFL history last year and could make even more progress in 2025, as he feels much more comfortable in his role going into his sophomore campaign. "I feel like I'm a lot further," Nix said. "Just spitting out play calls [is] a lot easier, and processing. It's a lot better. It's a lot more enjoyable not thinking right now as opposed to what I was doing last year. It's fun. It's fun to be in the know. It's fun to have a little bit more of an understanding of what's going on so I can be a little bit more beneficial to others and help them out along the way. I feel good. We're in a good spot." Nix is thinking less about footwork and mechanics and is able to react more quickly. In addition to being more comfortable in the same system, Nix has a new weapon in tight end Evan Engram, which should make him even more attractive as a midrange QB1 in fantasy.