Steelers’ Omar Khan Keeps Bold Four-Quarterback Option Alive

The Pittsburgh Steelers have four quarterbacks they may want to protect, but only 53 roster spots to divide across the entire team. Omar Khan is not pretending the math will be simple. The general manager left the door open to carrying Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar through the final cut, even if the decision forces Pittsburgh to sacrifice depth somewhere else.

The quarterback room has a clear order at the top. Rodgers is the veteran starter, while Rudolph gives Pittsburgh an experienced backup who has already handled meaningful games for the franchise. The uncertainty begins behind them, where Howard and Allar represent two different investments in the future.

Howard enters his second season after losing his entire rookie preseason to a right-hand injury. He returned later in the year and reached the active roster, but he still has not taken a preseason or regular-season snap. Pittsburgh spent a sixth-round pick on him in 2025 and has not received enough live evidence to decide how far his development can go.

Allar arrives with more draft capital and less professional experience. The Steelers selected him 76th overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, giving Mike McCarthy another young quarterback to develop. Cutting either player would create the possibility of losing a prospect before the new staff receives a real chance to evaluate him.

Khan’s answer made the decision sound as open as the competition itself. He was asked whether Pittsburgh could realistically keep all four quarterbacks when the roster is reduced to 53 players. Khan did not commit to the plan, but he refused to rule it out.

“Is it realistic, is it doable? Sure it is,” Khan said during his live press conference. “We’ll see how things go through the offseason and where we are injury-wise. We don’t know how things are going to shake up, because we want to keep the 53 guys that will help us win this year.”

The final sentence establishes the standard. Pittsburgh will not keep four quarterbacks simply because the room is interesting or because Howard and Allar are young. Each spot has to be weighed against a player at another position who may provide more immediate help.

Keeping four quarterbacks means carrying one fewer offensive lineman, defensive back, linebacker or special teams contributor. The final roster usually contains several decisions involving players who can help in multiple phases. A fourth quarterback may spend most Sundays inactive, while the player cut to create that spot could have covered kicks or provided needed depth.

Pittsburgh has already shown it is willing to accept that tradeoff. The Steelers kept four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster in 2025, so Khan would not be creating a completely new model. The difference is that the current room contains two young passers the organization may view as part of its post-Rodgers plan.

The decision could become easier if an injury changes the roster elsewhere, which Khan directly acknowledged. It could also become harder if a player at a crowded position forces his way onto the team during training camp. The fourth quarterback will not compete only against the other three. He will compete against the strongest player Pittsburgh would otherwise have to release.

McCarthy’s presence adds another reason to be patient. The Steelers hired a head coach with a long history of working with quarterbacks, and the current room gives him several different assignments. Rodgers needs an offense built to win immediately. Rudolph needs to remain ready without receiving starter-level work. Howard and Allar need enough practice and preseason snaps to show whether either can become more than a developmental project.

That structure can become difficult with four players. Practice reps are limited, and Rodgers will need most of the first-team work once the regular season approaches. Rudolph must receive enough opportunities to function as the backup. Every rep that goes to Howard can be one Allar does not receive, and the reverse is also true.

The preseason should provide the clearest separation. Howard needs the game action he lost as a rookie, while Allar needs his first exposure to NFL speed. Their performances may determine whether Pittsburgh feels comfortable exposing one to the transaction process or whether both have shown enough to justify protection.

The Steelers’ four-quarterback roster debate will also be influenced by how ready either young player looks to serve in an emergency. If Howard or Allar proves capable of handling a limited game plan, Pittsburgh may have more flexibility with Rudolph. If neither is close, the veteran backup becomes even more important and the fourth spot becomes a pure developmental choice.

Steelers Must Decide Which Risk Matters More

Khan’s challenge is not finding a perfect solution. It is deciding which loss would be harder to accept. Pittsburgh could keep all four quarterbacks and release a useful player at another position. It could keep three and risk watching a young passer continue his development somewhere else.

Rodgers changes the urgency because he is not the long-term answer. Rudolph provides stability, but the Steelers still need to determine whether Howard or Allar can become part of the succession plan. Protecting both for one more season would buy McCarthy time to evaluate them without forcing an early verdict.

The cost will become visible when the final few roster spots are compared. A special teams standout, reserve tackle or versatile defensive back could make a stronger case for helping Pittsburgh in 2026. Khan’s own wording makes clear that future potential will not automatically outweigh present value.

Training camp will settle more than the quarterback depth chart. It will show whether Howard and Allar have made themselves too valuable to expose, whether another position demands the extra spot and whether Pittsburgh can justify repeating its four-quarterback approach.

Khan left every option open because the roster has not given him the answer yet. Four quarterbacks are realistic. Four quarterbacks are doable. Whether four quarterbacks give the Steelers their best 53-man team will be decided by everything that happens around them.

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