Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Bryce Young

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, June 28, 11:07 AM

The Athletic's Joseph Person writes that Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has shown an increased comfort level in his second year in head coach Dave Canales' offensive system, especially when he carved up the first-team defense in the red zone during minicamp. Young's intensity also caught the eyes and ears of media members this offseason. Pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney said that Young needed to play with more energy last year, and the former first overall pick has engaged in trash-talk sessions with cornerback Jaycee Horn. The 23-year-old was pretty bad in his first year and a half, but he looked different down the stretch in 2024 after being benched and threw seven TDs and no picks in his final three games. He's going to need to improve his accuracy and decision-making to take the next step in Year 3, but Young at least showed some signs to give fantasy managers hope that he can be a solid QB2 with upside.