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One of the battles on display in Latrobe for the Pittsburgh Steelers will be the competition for the backup quarterback job. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard will compete for the role, with the loser likely receiving a ticket out of Pittsburgh, unless the Steelers decide to get creative and find a way to keep all of them. One local beat writer proposed that idea, and it’s something the Steelers have done before.
Joe Starkey of Tribune Live and 93.7 The Fan suggested the Steelers could keep all four quarterbacks by giving the fourth quarterback an unconventional designation.
“This will be much less of a story if the Steelers keep four quarterbacks, which actually might make sense in their predicament. Ex-Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch believes there is zero chance that will happen, as he said on a recent podcast, and he’s probably right,” Starkey wrote. “I suppose the Steelers could invent an injury for somebody and put them on IR, or try to pass Howard through waivers and onto the practice squad. We’ll see.”
The Steelers have done this before, twice
The Steelers have stashed four quarterbacks on the roster twice, in 2021 and 2025. In 2021, Joshua Dobbs landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, while Will Howard received the same designation in 2025 after suffering a preseason hand injury. The precedent exists, but both quarterbacks dealt with legitimate injuries that kept them sidelined. Dobbs was never activated from injured reserve, while Howard eventually returned after Skylar Thompson suffered an injury.
Although the precedent exists, using that route would ultimately require a player to be injured. The Steelers certainly won’t hope for that scenario. More likely, the situation will result in either Howard or Rudolph being released or traded. Rudolph could potentially be traded, while Howard could be released or brought back to the practice squad.
However, the Steelers do not need to keep four active quarterbacks under any circumstance.
Steelers shouldn’t keep four quarterbacks on active roster
There is no reason for the Steelers to carry four quarterbacks on the active roster. Even keeping a quarterback on the practice squad might be a stretch. Carrying four on the active roster, though, should be out of the question. If the Steelers are concerned about relying on Howard in a worst-case scenario, they should simply keep Rudolph. Howard remains a complete unknown, while Rudolph is a proven backup and a known commodity.
Rudolph and Howard will begin their competition as soon as they report to Saint Vincent College. Neither quarterback is guaranteed to do enough to secure the job. The only certainty in the quarterback room is the starting and QB3 roles, with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Allar expected to fill those spots, respectively.
As for keeping four quarterbacks on the roster, that scenario can likely be ruled out.
