Aaron Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers are treating this season like it could be the one last swing at something bigger. With Rodgers in what is being described as his final NFL season, the stakes around this group are obvious.
There’s also a familiar face in the mix. Rodgers is reunited with Mike McCarthy, his old Green Bay coach, the same coach he won a championship with. That connection has the Steelers looking at this as more than a feel-good reunion; it’s the kind of setup that makes another Super Bowl run feel possible.
Still, Pittsburgh doesn’t seem interested in leaving anything to chance at quarterback.
The unusual wrinkle is this: the Steelers currently have four quarterbacks locked into the roster, and that creates a real question as they move toward their 53-man cutdown. In a roster projection published Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN had Pittsburgh keeping all four - Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar.
Archer called the “toughest decision facing the Steelers comes behind Aaron Rodgers and the deliberation between keeping two or three backup quarterbacks.”
He also wrote that “Will Howard and Drew Allar are young and unproven, but their preseason performances show they’re progressing well under coach Mike McCarthy and could handle filling in for Rodgers in case of emergency.”
Archer’s projection has McCarthy doing something he has never done before: carrying four quarterbacks on his initial 53-man roster. The reason, he said, is that the “decision is necessary because the gulf between Rudolph and the pair of young quarterbacks is sizable.”
In Other News...
Steelers Made A Quick Camp Decision After A Costly Preseason Miss
The Steelers moved quickly after a costly preseason miss against the Jets, releasing kicker Laith Marjan and opening up a roster spot in the process. Marjan had joined Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent and was never really in the mix for the starting job, but his inconsistency made the decision easier once the preseason kicked into higher gear.
Pittsburgh wasted little time using the newly available space, hosting three cornerbacks shortly after making the move. Its another reminder of how fast camp can change for fringe roster players, especially when the staff is still sorting through the back end of the depth chart and looking for help at positions where competition is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Secondary Suddenly Has A Joey Porter Jr Problem
The Steelers got a couple of encouraging roster updates with Max Iheanachor back at practice and Jalen Ramsey activated off the PUP list, but the bigger buzz around the secondary is shifting to Joey Porter Jr. Ramsey has already backed his teammate publicly in Porters push for a contract extension, a notable show of support from one veteran corner to another as Pittsburgh tries to keep the group stable heading into the season.
Still, the business side of it is not moving smoothly. Mike McCarthy said the Steelers and Porter are at an impasse in negotiations, and the possibility of the franchise tag hanging over the situation adds another layer of pressure. For a defense that has spent plenty of time building around its cornerback talent, the next step on Porters future could become one of the teams more delicate decisions before free agency. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Have A QB Rumor Fans Cant Ignore
Todd Monken has already settled Clevelands week-one quarterback order by naming Deshaun Watson the starter and Shedeur Sanders the backup, but the decision has also sent the rumor mill spinning beyond the Browns. For teams still wondering about their long-term quarterback picture, Sanders suddenly looks like the kind of name that could surface in trade conversations, especially if a front office believes the talent is worth the gamble and the timing lines up with a need under center.
For the Steelers, the speculation is easy to understand even if nothing is imminent. Pittsburgh has long been a team that keeps a close eye on quarterback depth and future options, and any young passer who might be available naturally gets tossed into the conversation alongside clubs like New England and Miami. Whether the Browns would even entertain moving Sanders is a different question, but the fact that his name is already being linked to other quarterback-needy teams shows how quickly one depth-chart move can create a larger market. [Read more 🡒]