Steelers QB Now Has The Upper Hand In Pivotal Competition To Be Aaron Rodgers' Backup

The Pittsburgh Steelers always had confidence that Aaron Rodgers would be returning for the 2026 season. It will be his second year with the Black and Gold, which should allow for some nice continuity for the offense. It's extremely fair to argue that the team, however, has the most fascinating backup competition going on throughout the NFL. Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and even rookie signal-caller Drew Allar could all end up as the second option on the depth chart after training camp and preseason games have occurred. 

It's hard to believe that Allar will be able to convince the staff that he deserves the job, especially because there are two talented guys ahead of him. Howard, however, has just as much in-game experience as the rookie due to an injury that he suffered in the summer of 2025. In Rudolph's case, he has proven to be a reliable second-stringer during the course of his career, but slotting him there may hurt the development of one of the other two.

It had to be a very interesting couple of weeks for the Steelers as Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp went on. It gave the new coaching staff several opportunities to watch all of the quarterbacks in action, including Rodgers. Something stood out to long-time insider Gerry Dulac, though, as he told the Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show crew that Howard has looked great.

"What you notice from Will Howard is how, how much smoother from year one to year two he is running what he's running, and, you know, whether that's his footwork, whether it's rolling out, his throws, whatever," Dulac said. "Will Howard looks very good. He does, and, again, we'll wait and see until another team is coming at him and another team is giving him some different looks, even though it'll be the preseason."

This is some significant reporting. Howard was given many chances to prove himself during offseason workouts, and he apparently made a strong impression. There is a legitimate possibility that he ends up as the second signal-caller on the depth chart. If that happens, Rudolph might be on his way out unless Allar mysteriously ends up on Injured Reserve (IR). Franchises almost never keep four quarterbacks on their 53-man rosters.

Dulac went into more detail about Howard's approach. Despite not having a chance to play at all in 2025 during his rookie campaign, he has looked extremely comfortable running the offense. That should only get better in time, especially when he gets the opportunity to compete in what likely will be all of the exhibition matchups come August.

"I will say, Will Howard, he has not looked like a guy who is flummoxed or doesn't know what he's doing," Dulac stated. "He looks pretty calm out there and pretty sure of himself and so I think, I'm curious to see how that translates to playing in a game, because what you've seen so far from him looks very good."

Based on the analysis from Dulac, Howard clearly has the upper hand when it comes to the backup job. It might not seem like a big deal right now, but Rodgers is nearing 43 years of age and fans felt the liability of that when he broke his hand in 2025. Howard could be one snap away from playing, and the Steelers currently seem very comfortable with that possibility.

Steelers' Mike McCarthy Will Be Focused On Howard And Allar

Mike McCarthy is not going to be coaching in Pittsburgh for just one season. While it may be good for him to have Rodgers around in 2026, the Steelers' head coach has to be worried about the future. Rudolph is a respected veteran who has several starts under his belt, but the new regime is not going to attempt to develop him into the long-term answer. This is why it appears likely that Howard will get the first crack at being Rodgers' backup in 2026.

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