The Tennessee Titans have their backup quarterback. Tennessee agreed to a one-year contract with 28-year-old QB Mason Rudolph during free agency.
Rudolph spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He started 13 games, with a career record of 8-4-1. That includes going 3-0 with a 74.3 percent completion rate in 2023.
Rudolph will now backup Will Levis in Nashville, pushing Malik Willis further down the depth chart.
Why was Rudolph a target for the Titans?
Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan wanted a backup quarterback that was capable of starting on a dime and carrying an offense through a 2-3 game stretch. Rudolph has proved to be capable of that with Pittsburgh over the years.
The 2019 Steelers finished 8-8, but were 5-3 with Rudolph starting. The 2023 Steelers finished 10-7 and 3-0 with Rudolph starting. For $3.62 million over one year, Titans fans should be satisfied with that addition.
Why Rudolph over the other quarterbacks on the open market? I'd imagine Rudolph comes in with a chip on his shoulder and a desire to compete. He's been passed up for opportunities in the past by the Steelers, and now he has a chance to be a cemented QB2 behind a young quarterback.
There's also the fact that Brian Callahan, who was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, went up against Rudolph and the Steelers a handful of times. He's all to. familiar with his ability as a backup quarterback.
"I've played against Mason a couple of times. I liked Mason coming out of college as a player. He's been called upon to play and come in for Pittsburgh and he has played pretty well for them. I think he's got good experience and he's a veteran player," said Brian Callahan when speaking with the media at the NFL owners meetings.
Rudolph was looking for a fresh start. He gets it in Tennessee and the Titans get a high-upside backup for an affordable price. Marcus Mariota got $6 million from the Commanders and the Titans are getting Rudolph for less than half that. With as many needs as Tennessee had to fill, that extra cap space was vital.
Down the stretch of the 2023 season, Rudolph flashed the arm talent and toughness the Titans were coveting from this role. Among quarterbacks with 50+ dropbacks in 2023, Rudolph was 2nd in EPA per dropback, 1st in completion percentage over expected, 1st in passer rating, and 1st in yards per attempt. Yeah...that'll play.
As is the case with any backup quarterback, the hope is that the Titans never have to use Rudolph during the 2024 regular season. But as far as insurance policies go, this is a solid one.
More must-reads: