Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Jalen Milroe

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 28, 1:51 PM

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said that rookie third-round quarterback Jalen Milroe will not be used in the same fashion as New Orleans Saints hybrid player Taysom Hill. Sam Darnold is the unquestioned starter under center for the Seahawks entering the 2025 season, and the plan is for Milroe to earn a chance to play in Year 1, according to The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar. The 22-year-old's role might become clearer as the team mixed in rookies with veterans during organized team activities this offseason. A two-QB system with specific packages for Milroe will take some time to fine-tune. It remains to be seen what kind of packages Milroe will be involved in, but they could be in red-zone and short-yardage situations. Either way, Milroe isn't going to have much fantasy value in redraft leagues as the backup to Darnold in 2025.