Mike McCarthy trend puts Will Howard in a bad spot
· Yahoo Sports
The quarterback always becomes the main character in any training camp miniseries, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ room won’t be any different once they report on July 28.
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Who will make the final 53-man roster cut in the QB room, and how will QB2 and 3 be set?
Aaron Rodgers is the obvious headliner at 41 years old and entering the final season of his storied 22-year career. Behind him, though, is where things get ... less obvious. Mason Rudolph has the experience. Drew Allar has the draft investment. Will Howard has the developmental upside, but it may not bode well for rostering.
That’s the problem Steelers insider Mark Kaboly pointed to in his latest column for “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“The Steelers want to develop a long-term quarterback between third-round pick Allar and Will Howard, it’s not a simple process,” Kaboly wrote.
It’d be easier if Pittsburgh wanted to carry four quarterbacks. Kaboly said he’d keep all four himself, but that doesn’t sound like the direction the Steelers are leaning.
“The Steelers don’t seem very interested in doing that. McCarthy has never done that in his 18 years as a head coach,” Kaboly wrote.
That history puts Howard in the worst spot of the group. Rudolph doesn’t exactly spark excitement in Steelers Nation, but he’s still the cleanest QB2 option if Rodgers misses time. Pittsburgh got lucky in 2025 when Rodgers missed only one game. Asking Allar or Howard to be one snap away from running the offense would be a much tougher sell.
McCarthy also hinted at this in April, telling reporters he believes in three quarterbacks while adding, “We’d love to have four if we can make one work for the practice squad.”
Two days later, the Steelers used a third-round pick on Allar. That choice could have very well shifted Howard’s path.
Kaboly’s current read is: “Regardless of what happens in the preseason, Rudolph and Allar slot in at QB2 and QB3, with Howard the odd man out.”
For Howard, the preseason may be less about winning a job and more about convincing Pittsburgh he’s worth keeping on the 53-man roster.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Mike McCarthy trend puts Will Howard in a bad spot