Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Brett Rypien

Friday, August 22, 10:43 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph completed six of his eight pass attempts for 36 scoreless yards and an interception in Thursday night's 19-10 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. Rudolph took the field for the team's first three offensive possessions and could not get much of anything going. The Steelers punted twice in the first quarter before Rudolph opened the second period with an ill-advised throw to Ke'Shawn Williams that Carolina picked off. Rudolph's brief showing was quickly outshined by teammate Skylar Thompson, who led Pittsburgh on three straight scoring drives. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old Rudolph should be expected to maintain QB2 duties heading into the regular season as the most experienced backup on the roster, especially if rookie Will Howard (finger) is placed on IR.

Tuesday, October 14, 7:41 PM

Veteran free-agent quarterback Brett Rypien signed with the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Anthony Richardson Sr. (eye) suffered a fractured orbital bone before Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals when a resistance band snapped and hit him in the face. With Richardson expected to be out multiple weeks, the Colts placed him on Injured Reserve on Monday, meaning he will be out at least four games. Rypien will give the Colts added QB insurance behind starter Daniel Jones and new No. 2 Riley Leonard. The 29-year-old was with the Minnesota Vikings in training camp before joining the Cincinnati Bengals. He played three offensive snaps with Cincy but was cut after the Bengals acquired veteran QB Joe Flacco in a trade. Rypien has completed 58.3% of his pass attempts for 950 passing yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 career games (four starts) since entering the league in 2020 with the Denver Broncos.