Rudolph completed nine of 17 passes for 85 yards, without a touchdown or interception, after replacing an injured Will Levis (shoulder) in the first quarter of Monday's 31-12 win over the Dolphins. Rudolph's turnover-free football was a breath of fresh air as the Titans rode their defense and running game to their first win of the season. Coach Brian Callahan said after the game that the decision to ride Rudolph was purely injury-related, per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com. With a Week 5 bye to recover, Levis likely will reclaim the starting job Week 6 against the Colts. Levis threw his sixth interception of the season prior to getting hurt, so his leash may be getting shorter, though Rudolph didn't exactly light it up Monday.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Mason Rudolph news
Team
Tennessee Titans
Birthdate
7/17/1995 (29)
Status
Active
HT/WT
6'5", 235 lbs
Draft Info
2018: Rd 3; Pk (PIT)
Birthplace
Rock Hill, SC, USA
Position
QB
College
Oklahoma State
Experience
7 seasons
Career History
Tennessee Titans
2024-Present
(1 season)
Pittsburgh Steelers
2018-2024
(6 seasons)
-
Titans1-3
vs.
Colts2-2
ATT 25.4CMP 16.3PASS YDS 176.5TD 0.8LNG 38.8CMP% 64.3SACK 1.6SYL 12.0INT 0.3RUSH YDS 5.1CBSS fantasy points 11.9ESPN fantasy points 10.3Yahoo fantasy points 10.6Pregame Probabilities
Expected to pass >300 YDS15%Passing Touchdowns 3+5% -
Full season projectionsATT 59.8CMP 38.4PASS YDS 406.8TD 2.3LNG 51.0CMP% 64.2SACK 4.5SYL 30.3INT 1.0
Rudolph completed nine of 17 passes for 85 yards, without a touchdown or interception, after replacing an injured Will Levis (shoulder) in the first quarter of Monday's 31-12 win over the Dolphins. Rudolph's turnover-free football was a breath of fresh air as the Titans rode their defense and running game to their first win of the season. Coach Brian Callahan said after the game that the decision to ride Rudolph was purely injury-related, per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com. With a Week 5 bye to recover, Levis likely will reclaim the starting job Week 6 against the Colts. Levis threw his sixth interception of the season prior to getting hurt, so his leash may be getting shorter, though Rudolph didn't exactly light it up Monday.
Rudolph looks cemented as the Titans' top backup to Will Levis following the team's trade of Malik Willis to the Packers on Monday, Grant Gordon of NFL.com reports. Rudolph inked with Tennessee back in March and has looked consistent throughout training camp and the preseason, and the Titans' coaching staff has clearly seen enough to prefer him over Willis as the No. 2 option behind Levis. Across four starts with the Steelers last season, including one playoff game against Buffalo, Rudolph threw for 945 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Rudolph doesn't figure to see much action this season, barring an injury to Levis, but if he does have to take the field he should be able to steadily pilot Tennessee's offense.
Rudolph completed 10 of 17 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Saturday's 16-15 preseason win over the Seahawks. He added four rushes for 15 yards. Rudolph entered the game after Malik Willis, with his first drive coming with five minutes left in the second quarter. He immediately led a touchdown drive, during which he went 3-for-4 for 40 yards. Rudolph and Willis are competing for the backup job, though the former appears to be the favorite for the role to begin the regular season.
Rudolph is listed ahead of Malik Willis on the Titans' first unofficial depth chart, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports. Rudolph reportedly split reps evenly with Willis to begin training camp but has since begun to separate himself as the winner of the backup quarterback competition in Tennessee. Wyatt reports that Rudolph has completed 84.2 percent of his pass attempts in camp.
Rudolph has split reps evenly with Malik Willis to kick off training camp and will be given a chance to win the No. 2 job, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports. Will Levis (foot) beat out Malik Willis for the starting role under center in Tennessee last season, and now Rudolph is slated to compete with the latter for a backup role. The 29-year-old spent his first four seasons in Pittsburgh and ended up throwing for 719 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions across four games in 2023. He even finished the regular season with three consecutive wins. His competition, Willis, is entering his third year with the Titans after being selected in the third-round in 2022.
The Titans are signing Rudolph to a one-year, $3.6 million contract Wednesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports. Rudolph could be the favorite to beat out Malik Willis for the top backup spot behind Will Levis (foot), considering his solid showing in Pittsburgh last year. He led the Steelers to three consecutive wins to close out the regular season, before the team suffered a wild-card playoff loss at the hands of Buffalo. The veteran's presence will provide Tennessee with an experienced signal-caller in an otherwise young QB room.
Rudolph has free-agent interest from multiple teams, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Steelers presumably aren't one of those teams, considering they recently reached an agreement with QB Russell Wilson and have 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett under contract for at least two more years. Rudolph stepped in for an injured Pickett at the end of 2023 and continued to start once Pickett was healthy, leading Pittsburgh to three straight wins at the end of the regular season before a loss at Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs. The 2018 third-round pick went 8-4-1 as a starter in his six years with the Steelers, completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 6.7 YPA with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions (on 458 career pass attempts). Rudolph won't add much on the ground (93 career rushing yards, zero TDs), but his career passing numbers are at least toward the high end of what's expected for a backup quarterback, with other positives including a low sack rate (4.6 percent) and just one lost fumble.
GM Omar Khan said Thursday that Rudolph knows the Steelers want to re-sign him, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports. Kaboly and Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via 93.7 The Fan) both have suggested that the Steelers prefer to re-sign Rudolph and move forward with him and Kenny Pickett as the quarterbacks for 2024, though Khan didn't rule out the possibility of acquiring a veteran starter or drafting a QB. It sounds like Rudolph would get the chance to compete for a starting job if he re-signs, as Khan said Thursday that Picket will be subject to competition even though the Steelers believe in him. The team is sending mixed signals, but it does at least seem clear that Rudolph and the Steelers have already discussed a contract extension. The 28-year-old replaced an injured Pickett late last season and then kept the starting job even after Pickett was healthy, leading Pittsburgh to three straight wins at the end of the regular season before falling to the Bills in the first round of the playoffs.