The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room is suddenly cramped.
Aaron Rodgers‘ return for one final ride, coupled with the drafting of Drew Allar in the third round, makes four signal-callers in the QB room, with veteran Mason Rudolph and second-year pro Will Howard completing the crew.
On Wednesday, new coach Mike McCarthy said it’s a good problem to have, and quipped that he hopes to find a way to keep all four on the roster.
“We’ve definitely got four that we love, I can say that,” McCarthy said. “You always have to develop the room. That’s always been the approach. We’re hoping that (general manager) Omar (Khan) can get the roster expanded to 55 and we can keep four. It’s a really good room. This is a good place to be, having four guys that can play.”
The 42-year-old Rodgers is the starter, that is known. The question is how the other three sort themselves out.
The chatter from Pittsburgh suggests that while Rudolph might be the easiest to move on from, the Steelers seem inclined to keep him as a veteran No. 2 in case injury befalls Rodgers. Howard didn’t take a snap as a rookie, but he has received praise this offseason and has taken the second-team reps early in the spring. Simple math, however, suggests he’ll have to battle to stick on the roster. The Steelers used a third-round pick on Allar. It would be a surprise to cut bait on the rookie who is reportedly getting a mechanics overhaul from the new staff.
“Mason has a lot of experience,” McCarthy said. “We’re trying to develop Will and Drew as well as we can. Will is ahead of Drew, just based on the fact that he’s been here.”