Having solid quarterback depth is never a bad thing, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have a dilemma on their hands: do they start the 2026 season with four quarterbacks on the roster or do they find a way to trade either Mason Rudolph or Will Howard before roster cutdowns?
Thankfully, the team's Friday night preseason game against the New York Jets might offer the answer they need.
Head coach Mike McCarthy noted this week that neither Aaron Rodgers nor Mason Rudolph will be suiting up to play in the Steelers' second preseason game at Acrisure Stadium. McCarthy also noted that Howard will get the start, while rookie third-round pick Drew Allar will play out the remainder of the game.
And what we witness in roughly the first two quarters of play could decide the backup QB battle.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could decide between Mason Rudolph and Will Howard for QB2 after the preseason game against the Jets
From a fan perspective, the battle between Rudolph and Howard has been too close to call. Both players are coming off respectable training camp performances, and both only helped their cause in the preseason opener. But Friday night's contest against the Jets could help McCarthy make a decision at QB2.
Rudolph's stock will remain even. By sitting this contest out, he can't hurt his chances of sticking around... but he can't help them either. The opposite is the case for Howard.
The second-year quarterback did about as well as could be expected during his NFL debut (Howard missed his entire rookie preseason with a hand injury). However, most in the Steelers media assume Rudolph is still in pole position for the backup job, which means Howard could be on the way out.
That is, unless he has a stellar showing against the Jets.
If Howard can stack back-to-back impressive outings, this could be enough for McCarthy to look toward the future with the 25-year-old Ohio State product, as opposed to the 31-year-old Rudolph. A strong showing could put Rudolph on the trade block, while an egregious outing could ultimately result in Howard being sent packing his bags.
It's not impossible that the Steelers keep four quarterbacks on their roster to begin the season, but we have to remember that only one QB can see the field at a time—and four simply feels excessive.
Even if all four make the initial 53-man roster, one could be traded shortly after the season begins. The Steelers may not want to jeopardize their depth at other positions in a win-now window.
And while many fans assume Rudolph is only sitting out because he has such a firm grasp on the QB2 role, it could be that McCarthy wanted to get a long look at Howard with the 'starters' to see if he has something more to work with there. There's also speculation that McCarthy didn't want to risk playing Rudolph because he may be looking to trade the veteran before roster cutdowns.
Regardless of what's going through McCarthy's head, all eyes are going to be on Will Howard's performance against the New York Jets. And how he improves or plummets his stock could determine who the Steelers keep at quarterback for the 2026 season.
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