{"id":370172,"date":"2026-07-22T12:55:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T07:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=370172"},"modified":"2026-07-22T12:55:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T07:25:55","slug":"steelers-mason-rudolph-will-howard-to-compete-for-backup-qb-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/22\/steelers-mason-rudolph-will-howard-to-compete-for-backup-qb-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers’ Mason Rudolph, Will Howard To Compete For Backup QB Spot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Steelers training camp will see\u00a0Aaron Rodgers\u00a0<\/strong>resume padded practices with quite a lot of familiar faces. How the remainder of the team\u2019s quarterback depth chart will take shape stays to be seen, though.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Veteran Mason Rudolph\u00a0<\/strong>is joined by 2025 sixth-rounder\u00a0Will Howard\u00a0<\/strong>and third-round rookie\u00a0Drew Allar<\/strong>. Rodgers is a roster lock, but only two of the remaining three passers are in line to survive roster cuts (barring an injury). The distribution of reps through the spring led to further speculation about how the pecking order will emerge through camp and the preseason. Particularly, Rudolph and Howard will probably be price watching closely.<\/p>\n

Mike DeFabo of The Athletic writes<\/a> Rudolph and Howard are likely in position to compete for the QB2 gig. Keeping Allar as a developmental No. 3 option could be logical, leaving the Steelers with a selection on learn how to proceed on the backup spot. 2026 is seen as a win-now campaign given the variety of veterans \u2013 including, most notably, Rodgers \u2013 who return from last season. Surrounding Rodgers with two quarterbacks who’ve yet to take a regular-season snap within the NFL would carry considerable risk, something which points to Rudolph having a powerful probability at being retained.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old is due $3MM in base salary for 2026, the ultimate 12 months of his current contract. The Steelers would save that quantity by cutting or trading Rudolph, nevertheless, while generating only $1.62MM in dead money. Electing to maneuver forward with the younger options could possibly be tempting consequently. Latest head coach\u00a0Mike McCarthy\u00a0<\/strong>was not in place when Rudolph returned to Pittsburgh last 12 months, and he has a track record for developing quarterbacks. In the course of the lead-up to the draft (a period which contained uncertainty over whether or not Rodgers could be back), McCarthy routinely praised Howard and spoke highly of his upside.<\/p>\n

As DeFabo notes, the matter of whether or not Pittsburgh trusts Howard to handle backup duties in 2026 will probably be more pressing than the query of his ceiling relative to Rudolph. If all 4 passers are healthy by the tip of the summer, attempting to pass Howard through waivers could receive consideration. With the Ohio State product having not yet played within the regular season, he would have a stronger probability of going unclaimed than Allar. After all, injuries to other veterans across the league could also result in trade interest in Rudolph.<\/p>\n

The way by which McCarthy splits backup and third-string reps during training camp will probably be price following, as will the playing time Rudolph and Howard specifically receive within the preseason. How the Steelers proceed in each case will represent a notable summer storyline.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Steelers training camp will see\u00a0Aaron Rodgers\u00a0resume padded practices with quite a lot of familiar faces. How the remainder of the team\u2019s quarterback depth chart will take shape stays to be seen, though. Veteran Mason Rudolph\u00a0is joined by 2025 sixth-rounder\u00a0Will Howard\u00a0and third-round rookie\u00a0Drew Allar. Rodgers is a roster lock, but only two of the remaining three […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":370173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[10330,1815,2362,6913,28598,3399,8721],"class_list":["post-370172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-backup","tag-compete","tag-howard","tag-mason","tag-rudolph","tag-spot","tag-steelers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t