Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Hendon Hooker

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, August 4, 8:43 AM

Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker will get the start in the team's second preseason game on Friday against the Atlanta Falcons. Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that Hooker will play the first half and veteran Kyle Allen will take over for the second half. That order is a reversal of how the Lions deployed their quarterbacks for their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Hooker and Allen are competing for the backup job in Detroit behind Jared Goff. Both players struggled in their first taste of preseason action against the Chargers on Thursday. Hooker was three-for-six through the air for 18 yards and an interception, while Allen went 9-for-14 for 71 yards and two picks. A third-round pick in 2023, Hooker has been unable to secure the Lions QB2 role to this point in his career. He'll need to play much better throughout the remainder of the preseason to earn the job heading into 2025.