What would it take for the Steelers to seriously carry four quarterbacks?
Is the notion that the Steelers could carry four quarterbacks into the regular season starting to pick up steam? It’s an idea Mike McCarthy has suggested somewhat playfully, but it is rather impractical. Generally, it takes a special set of circumstances for that to make sense for a team. Does it make sense for this 2026 roster?
Honestly, the ingredients are there. You have a starter in his last season and two completely inexperienced backups you want to develop, with one experienced backup you already trust. The starter and the highest developmental quarterback are locks for the Steelers’ roster, but who else makes it?
It’s an interesting balance. Obviously, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Allar will be on the team. But it seems that Will Howard has to be promising enough not to want to risk losing, but not good enough right now to justify being one snap away from playing for a team with high aspirations. And really, that’s not an implausible outcome. If that’s how the summer plays out, I could see the Steelers carrying four quarterbacks.
But if they did, it would have to come at the expense of another player somewhere else. And really, this is a pretty deep roster this offseason, at least in terms of bodies. If the Steelers keep four quarterbacks, who loses out on a roster spot? Could they go with only nine defensive backs, leaning on the versatility of the group?
While it would be uncommon for the Steelers to carry four quarterbacks, there is plausibility. It’s not preferred—ideally, Will Howard and Drew Allar would simply show the team enough to justify moving on from Mason Rudolph. But they can make it work if they feel that they need to. And if the beat writers are starting to warm up to the plausibility, then perhaps it’s worth considering. Not that they have any kind of special insight when it comes to pure speculation.
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks.With seven consecutive postseason losses and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin’s resignation.
We’re already deep into the offseason, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team thatloses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
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