Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Kyle Trask

Friday, August 22, 10:43 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph completed six of his eight pass attempts for 36 scoreless yards and an interception in Thursday night's 19-10 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. Rudolph took the field for the team's first three offensive possessions and could not get much of anything going. The Steelers punted twice in the first quarter before Rudolph opened the second period with an ill-advised throw to Ke'Shawn Williams that Carolina picked off. Rudolph's brief showing was quickly outshined by teammate Skylar Thompson, who led Pittsburgh on three straight scoring drives. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old Rudolph should be expected to maintain QB2 duties heading into the regular season as the most experienced backup on the roster, especially if rookie Will Howard (finger) is placed on IR.

Monday, August 25, 6:11 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to release quarterback Kyle Trask (shoulder), a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Trask will revert to Injured Reserve due to a shoulder issue and then work out a settlement or release in order to look for a new team. It means that veteran Teddy Bridgewater will open the 2025 season in Tampa as the primary backup behind starter Baker Mayfield, with undrafted free agent Connor Bazelak serving as the QB3. Trask, 27, was a second-round pick (64th overall) in the 2021 NFL draft out of Florida. He never started a game for the Bucs in his three seasons and appeared in only seven games, going just 4-for-11 passing for 28 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Trask will now be looking to get healthy and latch on with another organization and compete for a depth role.