The Steelers are heading into camp with Aaron Rodgers at the top, Mason Rudolph next in line, and two drafted quarterbacks stuck behind them - a setup that is unlikely to thrill a fanbase that has already seen plenty of veteran stopgaps.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said Rudolph will open camp as the No. 2 quarterback, with Will Howard and Drew Allar splitting reps behind him while they battle for the No. 3 spot. If that order sticks, Steelers fans hoping to see one of the younger passers climb the chart may be waiting a while.
Rudolph is back for his eighth season in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers are clearly leaning on the most experienced option behind Rodgers for now. The former Oklahoma State third-round pick has thrown for 21 touchdowns against 13 interceptions with the Steelers, and his game is built around accuracy and operating an offense when he’s kept clean. The issue, as the source points out, is that he has not shown much ability to lift the talent around him.
Howard, a 2025 sixth-rounder, arrives with a more complete profile than the average late-round flier. He won a national championship at Ohio State and brings mobility, size, and accuracy to the table. Still, his arm talent is described as only average, and his Kansas State seasons were not nearly as impressive as his run in Columbus, where he was surrounded by a loaded roster.
Allar, taken in the 2026 third round, fits the classic big-armed pocket passer mold. He can launch the ball 50 yards on the fly and has shown an ability to avoid turnovers, but he is also coming off a major injury and has struggled when forced to create outside the pocket.
That leaves Pittsburgh with a quarterback room that could draw plenty of attention throughout the 2026 season, especially with Rodgers no longer being what he once was. McCarthy appears to be trying to head off the inevitable chatter by setting the depth chart early, but it’s still a group that invites debate.
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