Steelers Rumors: Pittsburgh trade candidate, NFL fines T.J. Watt, Cousins buzz

Steelers Rumors: Mason Rudolph is trade candidate as Steelers weed out QB room

With the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline fast approaching, the NFL staff at The Athletic took on the challenge of labeling a realistic trade candidate from every team. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, QB Mason Rudolph was the name of choice.

"Honestly, there is nobody currently on the roster who needs to be moved or, frankly, good enough to be in demand," writes Mark Kaboly. "Rudolph is interesting because he’s an expendable veteran third-string quarterback who is playing out a minimum deal he signed in the spring."

With Kenny Pickett's injury history, he warns that the Steelers are unlikely to actively shop Rudolph. Still, it's not hard to fathom a QB-needy team picking up the phone and offering real assets to take Rudolph off the Steelers' hands.

Rudolph is 5-4-1 in 10 career starts. He has completed 61.5 percent of his passes (6.2 yards per attempt) for 2,366 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He's a towering presence in the pocket, listed at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. There's zip on his throws and it's not hard to envision Rudolph out-performing a few of the NFL's weaker starters. At the very least, he's an established backup who probably deserves better than third-string status.

All it takes is an untimely injury for needs to arise. Rudolph is one of the flashiest third-string QBs outside of Dallas, so it's worth keeping an eye on the rumor mill ahead of Oct. 31.