Who Should I Start? Skylar Thompson or Shane Buechele

Friday, August 22, 11:36 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson completed 11 of his 13 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 19-10 preseason victory against the Carolina Panthers. Thompson took over for Mason Rudolph in the second quarter and orchestrated three consecutive scoring drives. He capped his opening series with a perfect five-for-five passing line, highlighted by a 24-yard strike to Lance McCutcheon in the end zone to put Pittsburgh ahead. Thompson's strong play this summer has likely been enough to earn him a roster spot somewhere, though it's uncertain at this point if it will be in Pittsburgh. The aforementioned Rudolph is likely to enter the season as the team's primary backup behind Aaron Rodgers, but if the Steelers place rookie Will Howard (finger) on IR, they could opt to keep Thompson as their QB3 or explore trade options.

Saturday, August 23, 11:47 PM

Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele turned in the team's best passing performance of the preseason in a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. The 27-year-old demonstrated pinpoint accuracy throughout the night, completing 25 of his 30 attempts for 278 yards and a touchdown. He also used his mobility to his advantage and added another 20 yards on five rushes. Buechele played the entire game with the Bills' top three QBs - Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mike White - on the sideline. Trubisky and White have spent the summer battling for the No. 2 job, a role Buechele stands little to no chance of winning. His best bet to stay in the organization for a third straight year may be via the practice squad. Buechele was on Buffalo's practice squad in 2023, and he spent last year on Injured Reserve after suffering a neck injury in the preseason.