The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be in a good position at quarterback with four on the roster under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy.
Aaron Rodgers is back for his second season in Pittsburgh, while veteran backup Mason Rudolph also returns. Second-year pro Will Howard looks to continue to develop, while rookie third-round pick Drew Allar has an intriguing future ahead of him.
It raises the question of what the Steelers will do in late August as carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster seems like a waste of roster space. The belief is someone like Howard could be the odd man out, especially if the Steelers decide to carry the experienced backup in Rudolph.
However, Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzaro believes that would be a mistake, considering he ranked Rudolph among the league’s worst backup quarterbacks.
Despite having 19 career starts and garnering praised for his professionalism and ability to be ready to go at a moment’s notice, Rudolph landed at No. 27 in Manzaro’s backup QB rankings.
“Rudolph is back for his eighth season with the Steelers. But it’s not a certainty that Rudolph will be Aaron Rodgers’s backup come Week 1 against the Falcons. The Steelers also have second-year quarterback Will Howard and rookie third-rounder Drew Allar,” Manzaro writes. “While I believe it’s time for the Steelers to see what they have in their younger quarterbacks, that likely won’t be the case with Rodgers back for his age-43 season. Pittsburgh will likely hand the QB2 job to Rudolph instead of making this a true competition.
“This team continues to favor the present rather than the future, even with new coach Mike McCarthy. Rudolph has 19 career starts with a 9-9-1 record.”
Rudolph’s experience makes him a viable backup quarterback option. Though things didn’t go well for him in 2025 coming on in relief for an injured Rodgers, he’s still a serviceable quarterback and is drawing some rave reviews from Mike McCarthy this offseason.
Yet Manzaro has him lumped in with the likes of Buffalo’s Kyle Allen, New England’s Tommy DeVito, and Tampa Bay’s Jake Browning. Manzaro even has Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky ranked ahead of Rudolph, which is ridiculous considering Rudolph took their jobs in 2023 and led the Steelers to the playoffs.
Rudolph isn’t a guy you want starting a bunch of games, but he understands the offense, doesn’t try to do too much, and can make all the throws required within a structured offense. He makes the occasional mistake though, like he did in his lone start last season in Chicago, playing a big part in the Steelers’ road loss.
But compared to some of the other backup options around the league, Rudolph feels like a much safer, stable option than Manzaro gives him credit for.
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