Steelers have a QB competition — one with immediate and long-term consequences

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But it also created another one in the Steelers’ quarterback room: How many signal callers will new head coach Mike McCarthy keep and what will the pecking order be? “We’ve definitely got four that we love,” McCarthy said. “You always have to develop the room. That’s always been the approach, so we’re hoping Omar (Khan) can get the roster expanded to 55 and we can keep four.” Unfortunately, the roster is capped at 53, and the Steelers already have many other tough decisions at other positions, making four QBs a luxury they probably cannot afford. It appears the stage is set for a competition that will likely continue through training camp and potentially all the way to cut-down day. At one point in the offseason, it was fair to wonder if these two quarterbacks could be competing for the starting job if Rodgers chose not to return. But after the Steelers drafted Drew Allar and signed Rodgers, there’s still an apparent battle between Rudolph and Howard — only now a roster spot could be on the line. “(Adding Allar) is just to improve the room, to continue to improve the Pittsburgh Steelers as a whole,” Howard said. “I’m excited to compete with all the guys we have in the room, because it’s a fun room. And at the end of the day, you’re competing and you’re trying to make everybody better.” Through the first two OTAs, Howard took the pseudo second-team reps. However, McCarthy cautioned that he “wouldn’t” put a ton of stock into the current QB rotation just yet. As this dynamic unfolds, there are arguments for both QBs. Unprompted, Rudolph laid out his: “This is a veteran team. We’re trying to win now. We don’t bring back Aaron Rodgers if you don’t want to win now. Cam Heyward and these guys have been around a long time, and we want to make a playoff push, and I know that I can contribute with that veteran culture.” Rudolph’s point is more than valid. The Steelers seemingly committed themselves to the current window by extending the 37-year-old Heyward, signing soon-to-be 30-year-old corner Jamel Dean, trading for 28-year-old Michael Pittman Jr. and — more than anything — waiting on the 42-year-old Rodgers. If the Steelers are playing for right now, would it be too much of a risk to enter the season with a pair of young backups who at this point haven’t even taken a snap in an NFL preseason game? Rudolph, who will be 31 when the season begins, has 34 games of experience, including 19 starts. In those starts, he’s 9-9-1. He’s proven to be capable of stepping in and keeping the offense afloat, sometimes more. His best stretch came at the end of the 2023 season, when he went from QB3 to season savior, rallying the Steelers with three late-season wins to clinch an improbable playoff berth. “I’ve won games here,” Rudolph said. “I know I’m capable of winning games when my number’s been called upon. That’s what I’ve done.” On the flip side, keeping Howard would be McCarthy placing another bet on himself and the future. From the day McCarthy was officially announced as head coach, he’s done nothing but heap praise upon the 2025 sixth-round pick. “I was just so impressed with him during the (2024 College Football) Playoff,” McCarthy said. “He’s a national champion. That goes a long way. He was getting better and better throughout those playoffs. That was my first impression of him from afar.” Now that McCarthy has had the chance to work with Howard, he’s noticed from the first meeting that the former Ohio State quarterback is “wired the right way.” “Just coaching quarterbacks for a long time, you know the questions to ask,” McCarthy said. “He’s a lot more athletic than I realized in his lower half, so he’s doing a hell of a job. He’s having a really good offseason.” If the Steelers went the younger route, McCarthy would have two developmental quarterbacks behind Rodgers. Over the course of this year, McCarthy could refine their mechanics and also evaluate them to determine if the Steelers need to make an aggressive move for a first-round QB in 2027. Howard said this week that McCarthy has taken an “intricate” and “detailed” approach to his coaching. “It’s just made me better,” Howard said. “Things that, you know, in my footwork or in my ballhandling that I haven’t even thought about, you know, that he brings up. It just makes you hyperfocused and locked in on those things that you know maybe seem minute and seem minuscule, but you know, really, really make a difference.” The good news for the Steelers is they don’t have to decide right now if Howard is ready to serve as QB2. In that way, unless Khan orchestrates a trade, chances are we’ll be talking about this position battle through camp and during the preseason games. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms