Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Pittsburgh Steelers begin training camp with a key decision looming over their quarterback depth chart.
- The front office faces pressure to balance veteran experience with the development of younger talent behind their aging starter.
- How the coaching staff navigates this competition will shape the team's offensive strategy and long-term plans this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers start training camp in Latrobe on Tuesday. While Pittsburgh has a new coaching staff and plenty of fresh blood on the roster, this organization is always slow to alter its longstanding traditions. That includes camp, where players will room together college-dorm style at Saint Vincent's. The Steelers, fair or not, believe this aids team camaraderie. Fortunately for those same players, the tough decisions come later in August, including at the quarterback position. They can rest easy...for now.
What the Steelers choose to do with their four quarterbacks remains the biggest question entering camp. Aaron Rodgers is the starter and nothing will change that. Yet, behind Rodgers is veteran Mason Rudolph, second-year player Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar. It's highly unlikely the Steelers cut their third-round pick after one round in Latrobe, which leaves Rudolph and Howard battling it out for snaps — and perhaps their futures in Pittsburgh.
Steelers QB depth chart offers more questions than answers
Player | College | Career NFL starts |
|---|---|---|
Aaron Rodgers | Cal | 257 |
Mason Rudolph | Oklahoma State | 9 |
Will Howard | Ohio State | 0 |
Drew Allar | Penn State | 0 |
The Steelers watched what the rival Browns did last training camp and came away with the wrong conclusion. If you have four average quarterbacks, in reality you have none. Of course, the potential of Howard and Allar has yet to be determined, but the Steelers front office isn't doing themselves any favors by blocking their path to playing time in meaningful games.
Rudolph sticks out on this depth chart like a sore thumb. He is a proven product — good enough to be a solid backup but not a productive starting QB in the NFL. That means he'll have trade value when a QB for another team inevitably goes down with an injury. Yet, the Steelers have to consider all of their options before trading Rudolph, as Rodgers himself will turn 43 years old this season. Should Pittsburgh really sell its only proven veteran backup?
Why the Steelers could trade Mason Rudolph
The argument for trading Rudolph is an easy one to make. The Steelers could receive some valuable draft capital in return, even if it be a Day 3 pick. Pittsburgh has taken some flyers over the last two seasons to find their QB of the future in Howard and Allar, but if they were confident in either, Rudolph wouldn't be on the roster right now. Full stop.
You also have to factor in how this organization thinks. Art Rooney Jr. is not one to embrace a full rebuild. Heck, he won't even acknwledge the idea. It's why Pittsburgh is running back Rodgers again despite a loss in the AFC Wild Card round to the Houston Texans. As a Steelers fan myself, that was downright embarrassing. Rooney Jr. wants more of that! And Omar Khan listened.
The presence of McCarthy should help some. He's a hands-on offensive head coach, and has history with Rodgers. If Rudolph enters a game in 2026-27, something has gone horribly wrong. Which begs the question: What's the point of keeping him around in the first place? Rudolph is not leading the Steelers to the postseason. Neither is Howard or Allar. If you find this exercise exhausting, just listen to 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
Does Mike McCarthy really believe in Will Howard?
McCarthy has said all the right things about Howard since he was hired. Heck, he declared Howard's development as one of the factors that enticed him about the Steelers gig. If you bought that, I have a timeshare to sell you. McCarthy would've taken just about any job he was offered. He is from Pittsburgh and a Yinzer at heart. It's one of the best stories in the NFL this season. McCarthy has always wanted to coach the Steelers. It doesn't matter who the QB is.
But in terms of Howard, McCarthy has remained consistent, despite drafting Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Allar is a Penn State product and is essentially a block of marble McCarthy can carve into his ideal QB image. That's bad news for Howard. There's only room for one project on this depth chart.
So, when asked the biggest question the Steelers have entering camp, the answer is staring fans in the face. It's quarterback. It's always been quarterback. And until McCarthy and Khan can provide a real answer about their future plans, the Steelers will be stuck in neutral. August in Latrobe could put this vehicle into gear for a change.
More Steelers news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google