Mason Rudolph secures the job as QB2 with the Titans, while Tennessee trades Malik Willis

After serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 3 quarterback for the past two years, Mason Rudolph has now become the Tennessee Titans' top backup. Rudolph has seemingly had the edge on Malik Willis throughout camp, and today his No. 2 spot was cemented when the Titans traded Willis to the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round pick.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirmed the trade and compensation.

The Titans selected Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft, a promising quarterback with great potential that the Steelers evaluated before selecting Kenny Pickett. After losing to Pickett in Pittsburgh, Rudolph beat out a fellow quarterback from that 2022 class in Willis.

Rudolph never became the quarterback the Steelers once envisioned, but he earned high marks for his consistent professionalism. Drafted in the third round of the 2018 draft, Rudolph got a chance to prove himself during the 2019 season when Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. Like the rest of the offense that year, Rudolph had a bumpy road but became a better quarterback because of it. And it was Rudolph who led the Steelers to the playoffs in 2023 when he came off the bench, won the final three games and reached the Wild Card round.

Rudolph signed a one-year deal with the Titans in the offseason and reportedly had a brilliant summer, impressing with his accuracy and showing more “gamer” skills in longer game situations than he's previously been given credit for. He finished the preseason completing 63 percent of his passes for 365 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In Week 2 of the preseason, he led a game-winning drive to beat the Seattle Seahawks 16-15.

The Steelers and Titans are not scheduled to face each other in the regular season, meaning Rudolph could only face his former team in a playoff matchup.

All three of the Steelers' quarterbacks from last season will start as backups on their new teams: Rudolph in Tennessee, Pickett in Philadelphia and Mitch Trubisky in Buffalo, despite suffering a knee injury that lasted several weeks in the preseason against Pittsburgh.

The Steelers' brand new quarterback roster will consist of Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen, hoping to get better results from the start rather than having a winning streak towards the end of the year.