The Pittsburgh Steelers have settled their emergency quarterback question for Week 1, and the answer is Will Howard.
With Aaron Rodgers locked in as the starter and Mason Rudolph set as the backup, the only real debate was who would hold the No. 3 spot against the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers went with the expected move, naming Howard the emergency third quarterback while keeping him inactive for the opener.
Drew Allar will also be inactive on game day, which means he cannot play in the season opener no matter how things unfold.
Howard had looked like the stronger candidate to win the backup job for much of the offseason. But once Pittsburgh committed to keeping all four quarterbacks and Rudolph opened training camp as the No. 2 option, Howard was left trying to climb a hill he couldn’t quite get over.
The Steelers still clearly believe there’s something there, or they would not have kept him on the roster at cutdown time. Even so, his preseason did him no favors. Howard threw three interceptions across the final two games, and he still needs more development after a rookie year that was basically wiped out by a hand injury in training camp.
That leaves him with a steep path to meaningful playing time this season. Barring a situation where Rudolph has to start multiple games because Rodgers is hurt and Rudolph then struggles, Howard’s chances of seeing the field are slim.
For Allar, the plan looks even simpler: this season is essentially a redshirt year.
The third-round pick showed some flashes in the preseason and has the kind of tools that could make him a starter down the road in Pittsburgh. But the Steelers know he remains a work in progress, and they don’t appear eager to put him in a spot where he might be forced into regular-season action.
For now, the focus shifts to 2027 for Allar. A move past Howard on the depth chart isn’t out of the question, but at this point it doesn’t seem likely.
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