Is Will Howard in the driver’s seat for the backup quarterback role this year?
The Steelers will enter training camp with three quarterbacks behind Aaron Rodgers, Will Howard and Mason Rudolph the returning options. Drew Allar, a third-round rookie, seems set for a redshirt year. While Rudolph has been a backup for most of his career, though, many believe it’s Will Howard’s job to lose.
How true is that claim, though? Yes, the Steelers are getting a good look at Howard this offseason, but for what purpose? How much of that is about evaluating him for the future, and how much for this year’s backup post? Mason Rudolph is far more experienced, and the Steelers actually believe they can win this year.
Of course, the Steelers could struggle to carry both Howard and Rudolph on the roster. Rodgers and Allar are locks, presuming good health, so they will have to decide whether it’s worth the trouble to carry four quarterbacks. While not unheard of, it’s a rare roster construction, for good reason. Still, if ever there were a year for the Steelers to carry four quarterbacks, this would be it.
And if the Steelers carry four quarterbacks, it would seem very likely it’s because they believe Mason Rudolph is their best option to be the backup. If they felt Will Howard were the better answer, wouldn’t they just keep him and cut Rudolph?
Will Howard may see the most snaps this training camp, including the preseason. Mason Rudolph will probably see the fewest reps, and by a good margin. It’s not really his job to win, in that sense. He is the known quantity, so in that sense, clearly it’s Howard’s job to win.
But that’s not the same thing as putting him in the driver’s seat. Is it just a matter of Howard showing a certain level of competence, at which point the job is his? To what extent does Howard have to show that he’s better than Rudolph, if he does at all? Is it more about reaching a baseline of competence or actually being the best backup option?
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 resigning.
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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