Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans thought Shedeur Sanders was going to be dubbed the quarterback of the future by being selected with the team's first-round pick. Instead, the Steelers wound up selecting Will Howard out of Ohio State in the sixth round.
Howard had his good moments and even helped lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship win, but he was never seen as a clear-cut franchise quarterback. The Steelers are bringing him in and will see what they can get down the road, but Howard, a quarterback who needs a lot of development, is not going to be the team's Week 1 starter.
Given that, it feels like a matter of when, not if, the Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers. The reason for that has everything to do with what their QB room looks like without him.
Steelers projected QB depth chart without Aaron Rodgers
Rank | Quarterback |
|---|---|
1 | Mason Rudolph |
2 | Skylar Thompson |
3 | Will Howard |
This looks depressing, to say the least. Sure, Mason Rudolph has familiarity with Mike Tomlin, but he never impressed when he played in black and gold his first time around, and he threw as many touchdowns (nine) as interceptions in his eight appearances and five starts with the Tennessee Titans. He couldn't consistently start over Will Levis, which tells you all you need to know. He should not be starting on a team with playoff aspirations.
Behind Rudolph is Skylar Thompson, a quarterback with just 10 appearances and three starts under his belt, and he has completed just 81 of his 131 passing attempts (58.7 percent). Chances are, if he has to start games for the Steelers, something has gone horribly wrong.
Howard slots in third in this depth chart, thanks in large part to his inexperience and his need to develop. The fact that he needs to sit on the bench and learn for a bit shows why a veteran like Rodgers would be a nice fit in Pittsburgh.
Steelers projected QB depth chart with Aaron Rodgers
Rank | Quarterback |
|---|---|
1 | Aaron Rodgers |
2 | Mason Rudolph |
3 | Will Howard |
4 | Skylar Thompson |
This looks much better. Say what you want about Rodgers the person and Rodgers the football player at age 41, but he's absolutely an upgrade over the likes of Rudolph and Howard. By signing him, the Steelers would have a capable, albeit uninspiring starter, and a capable, albeit uninspiring backup. That sounds a whole lot better than an incapable starter and an incapable backup.
With it being unlikely that the Steelers will carry four quarterbacks, there's a good chance that Howard will be elevated to QB3 ahead of Skylar Thompson, who figures to be the odd man out if the Rodgers signing does come to fruition.