"Working The Phones": Steelers May Have Been Contacted By Desperate NFC Foe

The Pittsburgh Steelers went against their normal trends when they decided to keep four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster. As the team gets ready for its upcoming Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, it has not decided to move any of them to free up a roster spot for someone else. Pittsburgh has reportedly been open to trading one of these players away — mainly Mason Rudolph or Will Howard — so it wouldn't be surprising if reports come out that the phone lines have been going off in recent days. 

That is especially the case after Week 2, as three key starting quarterbacks went down with injury, and two of them are long-term issues. Jayden Daniels suffered another dislocated elbow while Jaxson Dart might miss the rest of the season due to MCL and meniscus ailments. As unfortunate as it is, there is always the chance that more starters go down, which could prompt teams to call the Steelers.

There may be some interest for one quarterback already. In the latest edition of The Sweep with Tom Pelissero, NFL Insider Tom Pelissero explained what is going on for the New York Giants.

"General manager Joe Schoen has been working the phones on all available QB options—including potential trades—since the Giants learned of the severity of Jaxson Dart’s knee injury," Pelissero wrote. "And league sources believe it’s a matter of when, not if, the Giants add another passer with starting experience, potentially as soon as Monday."

In the NFL, it's very hard to find a quality starter or backup quarterback during the season. There are a handful of options, but the question for the Giants is how much they are willing to give up, especially since they recently traded up into the first round to select Dart. They could go get Mac Jones, but the San Francisco 49ers value him as a starting-caliber player and likely want the compensation to match that belief.

The key here for the Giants is that they want someone with plenty of starting experience, as Pelissero made sure to note, but not someone that would break the bank. That's where the Steelers come in. They could ship Rudolph off for a Day 3 pick and focus on developing the two young guns that are currently behind him. He does have 19 regular season starts to his name, as well as one postseason start. 

Rudolph has the ability to help mentor the young players in the locker room while he learns the playbook if and when the Giants would need to call on him. Even if he doesn't start immediately, he still has some level of value to teams. Head Coach John Harbaugh also knows him very well from his time with the Baltimore Ravens, when he coached against the veteran backup. 

Steelers Have 1 Key Reason That Teams Would Have Interest In Rudolph

Head Coach Mike McCarthy has a reputation of being a quarterback whisperer, and that could come into play here. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Rudolph has learned from McCarthy's QB School throughout the offseason; although, it's unclear just how much he has improved. Either way, staffs can still teach old dogs new tricks, and there may be some intrigue on what he has learned.

In a league full of backup quarterbacks that don't show much when they're thrusted into action, Rudolph may have the edge. For a team like the Giants that may just want a cheap rental that can start, this may be their best option. They can acquire him for something like a fifth-round pick and see how well McCarthy has taught him. Worst-case scenario, he is a decent backup and a quality mentor in New York.

What do you think about Rudolph fitting what the Giants are looking for at this point? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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