Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sound like a quarterback eager to log preseason snaps, and the Steelers don’t appear to be pushing him that way.
Pittsburgh has not said whether Rodgers will play in the preseason, but the 42-year-old made his stance pretty plain when he spoke with reporters. He doesn’t see much value in exhibition games for himself or a lot of veteran players.
"It's preseason. It's not real football," Rodgers said.
"So if I do great. If not, great.
Preseason's a lot different. Teams don't run anything anymore, they just really don't.
It's good to see guys with pads on, under the lights, how they react to the nerves. But it's not real, regular season football."
Even if Rodgers never takes a preseason snap, he still plans to have a hand in helping the Steelers during the three exhibition games. He told Steelers On SI that he likes staying engaged on the headset and helping settle things down when the first-game chaos starts to build.
"I like to be on the headset and calm everybody down," Rodgers told Steelers On SI. "Usually, the first game, it's a little hectic on the headset.
So I like to be the voice of reason, occasional dad joke or one-liner. Just keep everybody settled in a little bit."
That role could matter most for the young quarterbacks in the room, especially Will Howard and Drew Allar, who are expected to get their first NFL game action. Rodgers said he enjoys working with them because they’re eager to learn and willing to ask questions.
"Well, their age, really. They're young kids.
They're excited about learning, open to some extra coaching from me," Rodgers added about Howard and Allar. "They ask questions.
They want to do it right. They watch what I do and try and mimic that.
Or if I do something they don't understand, they ask a question. And the best part of it is Tom [Arth] gives me a lot of latitude in the room to speak up and to talk about things or stop the film and say, 'What are you thinking here?'
And quarterback, just like all things, can be over-complicated to make it seem more difficult than it might be sometimes. It's not easy, but you can simplify things and that's what I'm trying to help them with."
Rodgers’ voice will also be in Mason Rudolph’s ear. Rudolph is in a quarterback battle with Howard, and a strong showing against the Packers could go a long way. Rodgers is expected to be part mentor, part stabilizer, part sideline help as that competition unfolds.
The Steelers are set to be short-handed in their preseason opener. Rookie tackle Max Iheanachor (shoulder/neck) is likely to sit out after missing the past week of practice. Wide receivers DK Metcalf (unknown) and Michael Pittman Jr. (leg) are also out after not practicing.
Germie Bernard and Roman Wilson are slated to start in their places, while Dylan Cook will start at right tackle, as he has throughout training camp.
Defensive tackles Sebastian Joseph-Day (unknown) and Logan Lee (unknown) and offensive guard Steven Jones (unknown) have also missed practice time and are not expected to play. Defensive backs Jaquan Brisker and Brandin Echols (ankle) are likely out as well. Echols is still in a walking boot after injuring his ankle.
There is one expected return on the horizon. Rookie running back Eli Heidenreich is expected to play after missing time with a hamstring/groin injury. Heidenreich said he feels much better and is ready to go out there on Thursday night against the Packers.
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