Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Caleb Williams

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.

Monday, June 23, 6:04 PM

The Athletic's Adam Jahns writes that Chicago Bears new head coach Ben Johnson is challenging second-year quarterback Caleb Williams every day about everything and is coaching him hard, which should be a good thing for his development going into his second NFL season. Johnson's fiery, demanding persona stood out on the practice field during the offseason program, and it's expected to continue into training camp this summer. The 23-year-old was sacked a league-high 68 times while throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in 17 starts after being the first overall pick in last year's draft. He also rushed for 489 yards. Fantasy managers should give the USC product a pass after the Bears fired their head coach and offensive coordinator midway through Williams' rookie season. With Johnson now running the offense and plenty of weapons at his disposal, Williams should take a step forward in 2025.