Steelers four quarterbacks
Steelers four quarterbacks
Is keeping four quarterbacks the right move for the Steelers?
After last night’s preseason finale, Steelers HC Mike McCarthy strongly implied he will keep four quarterbacks, if not outright saying it. Asked if they have four quarterbacks who “have earned” roster spots, he called it a “very accurate evaluation”. But especially when you’re dealing with coach speak, there is always room for wiggle.
One can easily say that they have 60 players who “have earned” roster spots. Some years you might not even have 53 players who “have earned” roster spots. But no matter the number, 53 is the number that you keep. Semantics aside, though, it certainly seems the Steelers intend to keep four quarterbacks.
Assuming that is the case, the question then is should they? Aaron Rodgers is the starter, and if Mason Rudolph is on the team, he is clearly the backup. Beyond that, it’s likely that if Will Howard is on the team, he is the third guy. That means rookie Drew Allar, who did show some promise in the preseason, will be QB4.
A part of this discussion has to center on how much work the Steelers can give four quarterbacks during the regular season. And we have to acknowledge that, under Mike McCarthy, the circumstances are different. By running two practice fields simultaneously, he managed to find plenty of work for them during training camp.
Going back to the draft, McCarthy has consistently maintained that, in a scenario in which the Steelers keep four quarterbacks, he would be able to find them reps. Based on what we have seen, I think we can believe that. He simply run things differently than Mike Tomlin, under whom Mason Rudolph occasionally had to barter for reps. I don’t see that being an issue.
And that’s also partly because in Aaron Rodgers and Rudolph—now in his ninth season—he has two quarterbacks who don’t necessarily need a ton of reps. Still, the Steelers will have to balance their four quarterbacks carefully. They are trying to win games that count from here on out. While they want to evaluate Drew Allar and Will Howard for next year—and it’s not impossible that they would have to play at some point this year—they can’t evaluate them at the expense of preparation for winning the games they’re actually playing now.
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 out of training camp, 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.