The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the more interesting quarterback situations in the NFL. The fact that Aaron Rodgers is in the quarterback room is always going to draw attention to the position group, even if he is the confirmed starter. Things start to get interesting behind him as the franchise looks for its quarterback of the future. Pittsburgh drafted Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and then selected Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. This gives the organization two developmental pieces at the position to go along with Rodgers and veteran backup Mason Rudolph.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks down at his play sheet while he watches practice in street clothes as the team works out during 2025 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
As things currently stand prior to the start of training camp, it seems like Allar will be taking part in what is essentially a redshirt season. This means he'll be the emergency third quarterback on game days, and Howard and Rudolph will be competing for the backup role in Latrobe. Rudolph obviously has a good amount of experience in the backup role, while Howard has yet to step on an NFL field. It is likely that whoever loses the battle between Rudolph and Howard won't be on the roster for the 2026 season, while there is a very small chance that the organization could keep four quarterbacks.
The debate between the two quarterbacks has been strong, as some side with Rudolph due to his experience as a backup. Beat writer Nick Farabaugh shot that down during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday afternoon as he explained that Rudolph should not be considered a high-end backup.
"I feel like we are like acting like Mason Rudolph is like the best backup in the National Football League," Farabaugh said. "He's just not. He's an okay backup. He's fine. He's your standard backup. But I don't even think he is a top 10 backup in the league. I think people that are getting bent out of shape are getting bent out of shape for someone that is good at his job, but he is not an elite backup. He's fine, but they cut him, it's fine."
Rudolph has been in Pittsburgh his entire career aside from the 2024 season when he was with the Tennessee Titans. His career with the Steelers has been up and down aside from a three game stretch at the end of the 2023 regular season where he led the Steelers to the playoffs. Aside from that, he has been unpredictable when taking the field.
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Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
That stretch of games at the end of the 2023 season has left a lot of members of the fan base with a soft spot for Rudolph, but moving on from him would not be the end of the world. He is a high-floor backup, but a team is not going to win games because of him. If Howard can perform well throughout the preseason, there is no reason that he should not be able to take Rudolph's spot as the top backup quarterback on the roster.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterbacks Will Howard (left) and Mason Rudolph (right) during voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026.
Steelers Should Not Worry Too Much About Experience
One of the arguments in favor of Rudolph is the fact that Rodgers is 42 years old and playing behind a young offensive line. It would be surprising if he was able to play every offensive snap of every regular season game for Pittsburgh in 2026. It is more than likely that the backup is going to get some snaps at some point. The coaching staff and organization need to be comfortable with the fact that the guy coming in for him could be someone that has never played in a regular season game. Howard should not be cut just because he has no experience. If he shows good signs of growth throughout camp and the preseason, he should win the job.
What do you think about Farabaugh's argument? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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