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.

Wednesday, May 14, 3:40 PM

Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker missed nearly his entire rookie campaign in 2023 while recovering from a torn ACL, and he appeared in just three games last year. Overall, he completed three of his six passing attempts for 62 yards. The former third-round pick out of Tennessee is competing with Kyle Allen for the backup job behind Jared Goff this offseason, and quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell said Hooker is "off to a good start." The 27-year-old hasn't been able to take command of the backup role, which isn't a promising sign, but he remains an intriguing deep-league superflex stash in the event of a Goff injury. Hooker tallied 2,079 yards and 25 touchdowns in 49 collegiate games and would have a fantastic supporting cast to work with if he is ever called into action.