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As training camps around the NFL begin to open, the Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the NFL’s biggest quarterback questions. Aaron Rodgers will certainly be the team’s starter in 2026, but the Steelers have three players behind him who will battle for roster spots.
Pittsburgh drafted Drew Allar in the third round in this past April’s draft, so his spot is as safe as any of the three backups, leaving Will Howard and Mason Rudolph to battle it out for the potential final roster spot.
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger weighed in with his opinion on the latest edition of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, saying the best thing Pittsburgh could do at quarterback would be to keep Howard and Allar and release Rudolph.
“Personally, I think [cutting Rudolph] the smarter move,” Roethlisberger said. “You want to have two young guys because one of those could be your potential quarterback for the next five to ten years.”
Roethlisberger and Rudolph notoriously have a rough history. Roethlisberger wasn’t happy to see the team use a third-round pick on a quarterback in 2018 when they had just won 13 games the year before. Rudolph also made claims that Roethlisberger gave preferential treatment to other backups over him. Roethlisberger then said that he tried to help Rudolph, but that the Oklahoma State product indicated he didn’t want help.
Howard has yet to take an NFL snap, exhibition or regular season, as he missed the 2025 preseason with a hand injury. Rudolph started one game in 2025 in a losing effort to the Chicago Bears, although he helped lead the Steelers to a win the previous week as he came in for relief of an injured Aaron Rodgers against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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