The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the more interesting quarterback battles taking place in all of the NFL. However, the battle will not involve the starting quarterback position. That belongs to future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, who is entering his final NFL season. The quarterback battle is for the backup and third quarterback spot on the depth chart. Seeing as the Steelers likely won’t carry four quarterbacks on the active roster, veteran Mason Rudolph, second-year Will Howard, and rookie Drew Allar will battle it out.
Longtime Steelers insider Mark Kaboly recently released his way-too-early 53-man roster predictions. He is predicting that Rodgers, Rudolph, and Allar will make the 53-man roster while Howard will likely head to the practice squad.
What Will Mike McCarthy Do?
GettySteelers HC Mike McCarthy will be entering his 19th career season as an NFL head coach.
Here is what Kaboly had to say about his prediction of Howard being the odd man out:
“The Steelers want to develop a long-term quarterback between third-round pick Allar and Howard, it’s not a simple process…Rudolph and Allar slot in at QB2 and QB3, with Howard the odd man out. Trying to stash Howard on the practice squad might not be that daunting, considering he was a sixth-round pick with no reps to speak of as a rookie.”
The real battle here is for the third spot on the depth chart. Mason Rudolph is one of the more dependable backup quarterbacks in the entire league. He is entering his eighth NFL season and has 19 career starts under his belt as a career backup. This is a duel between Howard and Allar.
What is interesting is that Rodgers had some great things to say about Howard after getting the chance to help mentor him in his rookie season. The reason why this is interesting is that McCarthy and Steelers GM Omar Khan went on to draft Allar this offseason. So while Howard has the respect of Rodgers and a year of being in the NFL under his belt, McCarthy wanted another quarterback in the fold. Now, which young quarterback on the roster will McCarthy want to keep?
Aaron Rodgers Will Be a Mentor Yet Again
GettyAaron Rodgers mentored current Packers franchise quarterback Jordan Love for three seasons in Green Bay (2020-2022).
There isn’t a better quarterback to learn from than the four-time MVP in Rodgers. The Super Bowl MVP is arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play. He has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history, as well as the highest passer rating. Better yet, he knows how to handle adversity. He knows what it’s like to wait for his turn. He knows what it’s like to be a champion and perform at the highest level. He knows what it’s like to battle back from a major injury.
Howard and Allar have a great opportunity to learn from both him and McCarthy, one of the best offensive coaches of his era. Both players are going to learn an awful lot about themselves while they have a front-row seat to greatness in 2026.
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