Steelers' Backup QB Situation Between Mason Rudolph And Will Howard Has A Very Clear Answer

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally got an answer now that the Aaron Rodgers saga has come to a close, but they have another interesting quarterback situation on their hands. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard are at two completely different stages of their careers, but they are competing for the same job. With Rodgers return, the winner will be the primary backup, and the loser will probably get cut or traded from the team. One is a veteran that knows the system well and has plenty of experience, while the other has not even played in preseason after suffering an injury in training camp last year.

With the Steelers' endless quest to win now, there is this idea that Rudolph should be the backup by default because he knows what he is doing in a given week, while Howard has never taken a professional snap outside of practice. The only time he had any reps at QB2 last season was when Rodgers was injured and missing practice for a short period of time in 2025. It's clear the experience is not quite there, so playing him would be a pretty big gamble.

Insider Brian Batko has a different idea, however. In his latest mailbag, he explained why Howard should be the primary backup for 2026 barring an injury or just an unplayable performance in the preseason.

"We’ve had this conversation so often through the game-day lens, but reading plays off a card and doing what the script dictates as the scout-team quarterback wouldn’t be nearly as beneficial as running your own offense," Batko said. "It would be a lot riskier than keeping Rudolph around for any sort of rescue, of course. At some point, you just have to take that calculated gamble as a nod to the future."

The Steelers have praised Howard's development nonstop since training camp, before he got injured. However, spending another year on scout team likely won't lead to much development. As the QB3, much of his job is to just mimic what the opposing quarterback is doing that week, as opposed to learning the offense and building a connection with his receivers on a regular basis. 

For Howard's rookie season, running the scout team did make sense. It allowed him to get a feel for how the NFL works as he continued to grow with his mechanics. In fact, that will most likely be Drew Allar's job in 2026, and it would be the right call. There is a ceiling on how much you can develop as a QB3, however. The 2025 sixth-round pick seems to be right at that ceiling.

At the end of the day, you can't have experience if you never get trusted to run an offense. If the Steelers truly believe in Howard, they should give him the chance to run the second-team offense consistently and earn that job. The coaching staff will never know what kind of quarterback he truly is until he is put under pressure and expected to compete at a high level instead of just helping the defense.

Steelers Will Likely Have To Do What They Really Don't Want To

Football is a cruel business. Rudolph has done well for the Steelers over the years, and the two sides have a good relationship. Unfortunately, he is in the way of Howard and Allar developing, which means he will likely be released or traded barring injury. He should catch on with another team as a veteran backup / mentor, but unfortunately, he is just no longer a good fit in Pittsburgh. Development is more important than veteran leadership at this stage.

What do you think about the Steelers needing to roll with Howard over Rudolph in 2026? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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