The Steelers’ quarterback picture took a hit against the New York Jets, but it apparently did not shake the team’s plans.
Will Howard’s two interceptions in that game were ugly enough to get people talking about whether Pittsburgh should move forward with just three quarterbacks. Instead, the Steelers are still expected to keep all four on the roster this season. According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, head coach Mike McCarthy has already made up his mind, and Howard’s performance didn’t change that.
That thinking has been building for a while. What once sounded like an unusual idea has started to look like McCarthy’s preferred setup, even after Howard’s rough outing.
The Jets game may also have changed Howard’s market. His play should make him a far less appealing waiver claim for other teams, which would make it easier for Pittsburgh to get him back on the practice squad. In fact, it would be more surprising if he signed somewhere else than if he stayed with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh doesn’t need a 53-man roster spot to make a championship run. The team’s last linebacker or final offensive lineman is not going to be the difference between contender and pretender. What the Steelers do gain, though, is deeper overall roster flexibility if they keep four quarterbacks and have to make two of them inactive on game day.
That’s why the more practical move may be to place Howard on the practice squad and keep moving. He could develop into a real challenger for a starting job down the line, or he might not. For now, Pittsburgh can lean on Drew Allar, who has shown flashes in his two preseason games and has made noticeable progress since rookie minicamp in the spring.
This is a different kind of Steelers setup than what fans have been used to. In the past, Mike Tomlin would not have entertained carrying four quarterbacks, regardless of how the room looked. It simply wasn’t how the team operated.
McCarthy brings a different approach. As an offensive coach and quarterback developer, he wants options, and he appears to have found two quarterbacks he believes in enough to keep developing. Three games won’t settle everything, so he’s prepared to keep all four around and sort out the rest as the season unfolds.
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For Steelers fans, the more meaningful part was the overall feel of the game, one in which New York controlled the night and walked away with a 17-0 win. CBS Sports later singled out Smith as one of the preseasons biggest winners, a label that will only add a little more attention the next time Pittsburgh sees him across the field. [Read more 🡒]