"Leaning Toward [It]": Steelers Strongly Considering Making Rare Roster Decision

Barring anything unforeseen happening, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center when the Atlanta Falcons come to Acrisure Stadium in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL campaign. It was a little bit of a mystery for a lot of the offseason, but the four-time MVP made the decision to return for one more season alongside his longtime head coach Mike McCarthy. Now, the duo will look to repeat some regular-season and playoff success that they enjoyed together while with the Green Bay Packers for over a decade. The hope is that they never lost a step.

The mystery on the depth chat isn't regarding who will be the starter, but rather which individual will step up to be in line if Rodgers were to suffer some kind of injury. In 2025, the future Hall of Famer broke his wrist which led to Mason Rudolph stepping in. Now, Will Howard has had a full offseason to prepare himself for an opportunity, and rookie Drew Allar remains in the shadows as he adjusts to professional football.

The most complicated part about this situation is that, in a perfect world, Allar would be cut and return to the practice squad. Unfortunately, he would never make it past waivers as another franchise would most likely claim him due to his age and tools. That has led many to believe that one of either Rudolph or Howard could potentially be traded or simply just released come the end of August.

Keeping four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster is a very hard thing to do because every spot on there is precious. Despite this, the Steelers may really be considering make a rare move to keep the entire group together into the regular season. Insider Gerry Dulac spoke on Training Camp All Access and gave some interesting updates on where the organization currently stands.

"There's a lot of discussion about how the Steelers are going to employ their quarterbacks — who's going to stay, who's going to go," Dulac said. "I will tell you as of right now they are leaning toward keeping all four quarterbacks, and that makes a lot of sense when you think about it." 

It might be a bit of a head-scratcher considering only one of these four can play at once, but Pittsburgh seems to be really considering this kind of approach and Dulac explained why.

"You know, when I've talked to some people around the NFL, so when you look at the most important position, not only in football, but maybe in all of professional sports, why would you get rid of one of those guys if it's just a coin flip who you wanna keep as opposed to keeping, say, a 10th cornerback or somebody for special teams?"

Holding onto four quarterbacks will take away that final roster spot from someone who has been truly working to earn it. However, signal-callers are viewed as prized possessions in the NFL, and McCarthy might not be willing to let one slip away, regardless of who it is.

During Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in the spring, Howard was the designated number two guy behind Rodgers. That has since changed, as Rudolph began training camp as the second individual on the depth chart. Preseason games could change everything for either, or both, quarterbacks, as live action against a different team can bring the best, or worst, out in anybody.

The situation remains one to keep an eye on, and it becomes even more interesting when Rodgers comes to mind. He has a knack for having his own personal preferences, and he really appears to enjoy both Rudolph and Howard being around. That could also factor into the equation.

Steelers Would Fetch A Late-Round Pick For Rudolph

It's hard to determine any value that Howard would have in a trade because he has yet to play a professional snap. Rudolph, on the other hand, is an experienced backup who could be a perfect fit elsewhere if there are injury issues with a different franchise. Time will tell, but it's starting to seem like the Steelers are strongly considering making an extremely rare decision.

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