PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers’ quarterback competition has been mostly quiet through training camp, but that could change fast when the Green Bay Packers come to town for the preseason opener.
Mike McCarthy arrived in Latrobe and set the early pecking order, with Mason Rudolph working with the twos and Will Howard with the threes. Since then, the setup has stayed the same. That may be the calm before the real test.
Aaron Rodgers most likely won’t be on the field, which means the spotlight falls on the backups. Rudolph is expected to get the first shot and the first chance to put the battle to bed. If he doesn’t, Howard should be next up.
For Howard, this is the first real chance since camp began to make a move in the race for QB2 behind Rodgers. He had opportunities during OTAs and minicamp, but not enough to hold onto the job. Rudolph passed him and has built a solid edge over the past two weeks.
Now Howard gets a live chance to change the conversation.
“I’m so fired up.,” Howard said. "Obviously, I’m trying to take it day by day, and it’s still camp.
But, sometimes you can’t help but look forward a little bit and start getting excited just to be out there and [get] live game reps - because I haven’t played in over a year in live game reps. I think the last time was the national championship.
So, I’ve been champing at the bit for a while to get out there with the guys in a real game-like setting - uniform on, helmet on."
What Howard needs now is a performance that shows the upside McCarthy talked about earlier this offseason is real - that the starter potential is there and that the mechanical progress is translating into actual production.
If he delivers, he could head into the second preseason game with a genuine chance to keep pushing for the backup job. One game won’t settle everything, at least not in a positive way. But it can absolutely shape the next two exhibitions and keep this thing alive.
If Howard struggles, the race could be just about finished. It would take Rudolph, who has plenty of experience in these kinds of games, to look equally rough or worse. That’s a tough ask.
So the pressure lands squarely on Howard. After a quiet start to camp, this is the first true turning point in the quarterback battle. If he makes the most of it, the whole competition could get a lot more interesting.
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