The Pittsburgh Steelers have already played one game during the 2026 preseason, and the team won rather easily as they took down the Green Bay Packers by a score of 28-9. There were a ton of talking points that came out of that contest. The rookie class for the Steelers looked good all around, the Steelers obviously have to clean some things up on special teams, and the quarterback room is very good. The quarterbacks all played well, at least in the preseason scenario they were given as they were playing against some guys that might not even be on a roster once the regular season comes around.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Every iteration of the offense that took the field against the Packers was able to move the ball down the field pretty efficiently. Both of the young quarterbacks were able to lead scoring drives, and Drew Allar accounted for three touchdowns on the night. Will Howard looked fine as he led a two-minute drill to end the first half, and Mason Rudolph was able to get the offense deep into Packers' territory, but his group couldn't get any points on the board.
The two players in the quarterback room who are locks to make the final roster are Allar and veteran Aaron Rodgers. Howard and Rudolph are thought to be competing for the backup job, and some have theorized that whoever loses that battle could be cut or traded. Insider Gerry Dulac recently hosted a fan chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and he was asked about the possibility of trading Rudolph if Allar and Howard continue to play well.
"I learned a long time not to discount the possibility of anything, especially if someone comes knocking with a deal that is too hard to pass up," Dulac wrote. "But, as of right now, that is not in their crosshairs at all."
Rudolph has more trade value than Howard as he has actually started meaningful NFL games before. If Howard plays somewhere close to Rudolph throughout the rest of the preseason, the team should really look into dealing the veteran backup quarterback. There is a chance a quarterback-needy team could offer something that cannot be denied.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Will Howard and Mason Rudolph participate in training camp drills at Saint Vincent College in 2026.
It is clear and obvious that both Rodgers and Allar are safe when it comes to making the final roster, and fans would like Howard to be as well. This will be Rudolph's eighth season in Pittsburgh, and the organization should already know that he is primarily an average backup quarterback. That has proved to be his ceiling, and if the franchise decides not to keep all four quarterbacks, Rudolph is the one that should be cut or dealt. He at least has some trade value according to Dulac.
"To your point, the only QB who would fetch anything in a trade is Rudolph," Dulac wrote. "Howard wouldn't, and Allar isn't getting cut or traded. They probably wouldn't get anything more than a sixth for Rudolph."
A sixth-round pick isn't much, but it is better than nothing and it keeps the Steelers from having to keep four quarterbacks on the roster. Additional draft capital is never a bad thing, especially with the way General Manager Omar Khan has been drafting as of late.
Steelers Do Not Need To Keep Four Quarterbacks
Many fans, and those within the organization, still have a "win now" mindset when it comes to the Steelers. That is one of the reasons that some argue to keep Rudolph as the top backup. He is the only quarterback in the room aside from Rodgers that has actually played in a regular season game, so if Rodgers goes down, there is a good chance Rudolph can come in and win a game for Pittsburgh. That's the argument for a lot of people, even though he failed to do that in 2025.
Others argue that Pittsburgh does not need to worry about "winning now," and that should not be a factor in deciding to move on from a young quarterback in favor of Rudolph. The AFC is stacked, and the Steelers haven't won in the postseason in almost a decade. Win some games now and focus on the future.
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