PITTSBURGH, PA – The Pittsburgh Steelers decided not to trade Mason Rudolph heading into the season as a backup plan incase worst case scenario happened at the quarterback position.
Well, that didn’t happen for the Steelers, but it’s looking like it might have for the Dallas Cowboys. After Dak Prescott exited Week 1 with a thumb injury that will require surgery and likely keep him sidelined for six-to-eight weeks, Dallas may be looking for a new option at quarterback.
And their best option might be Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Right now, the Cowboys would head into Week 2 with Cooper Rush as their starter. The 28-year-old went seven for 13 for 64 yards when he stepped in for Prescott against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It wasn’t the worst performance, but it certainly wasn’t one that made anyone feel confident he’d keep Dallas’ season alive.
Meanwhile, Rudolph is sitting on the Steelers’ bench with a 5-4-1 record, a roughly $3 million cap hit and a 16-11 touchdown to interception ratio.
He also might be the only option out there who teams believed could be a starting quarterback during his career.
The only other option that stands out is San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo, but with a $13.9 million cap hit, it’s hard to imagine that type of money is worth trading for to be an eventual backup. Plus, with the 49ers sitting at 0-1, maybe San Francisco isn’t ready to give up their No. 2.
The Steelers could be looking at a trade that actually gives them the value they want for Rudolph. Reports said during training camp that the team wanted a third-round pick for the QB. Dallas is now desperate, and if they’re looking to win, maybe they do give up something higher than Rudolph’s originally thought trade value.
Simply put, this fit makes sense from a needs fit and a cultural perspective on both sides as both the Steelers and Cowboys are in of veteran players after both suffering week 1 injuries from key players.
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