Steelers Announce QB Plan Against Jets

PITTSBURGH -- The quarterback situation for the Pittsburgh Steelers received a huge update ahead of their second preseason contest against the New York Jets.

After the Steelers watched their two young quarterbacks, Drew Allar and Will Howard, exceed expectations in their NFL debuts, the question of who will be the backup to Aaron Rodgers has only intensified. Veteran Mason Rudolph has occuped the number two spot on the depth chart throughout camp, but the youngsters narrowed the gap after the preseason opener.

Exiting training camp, the Steelers were still operating under the same depth chart, but there was a feeling of change ahead of their battle with the Jets. That feeling was confirmed by head coach Mike McCarthy when he announced that Howard would start the second game and would be followed by Allar. He also shared that no veteran quarterbacks would appear in the contest.

"I saw what I needed to see from Mason (Rudolph) last week," he told reporters.

What This Means for Steelers

With this update, Coach McCarthy is beginning to clear up the confusion regarding the QB situation. All training camp long, the trio of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar have been battling it out for the two backup roles behind Rodgers.

Now, that competition intensifies as the two young quarterbacks have the chance to show what they can do against increased competition. McCarthy emphasized the desire to give the young players on the his roster the most amount of snaps and reps possible for the remainder of the preseason, and that fits exactly with his outlined plan for Allar and Howard.

It also represents a more difficult challenge for both players. Howard will face the best defenders the Jets can throw out there, depending on their own roster game plan. Similarly, Allar will likely face some increased competition in his second preseason action.

This gives McCarthy and his staff a larger window to evaluate both players, and it also ratchets up the intensity of this coming contest. Now, it's very clear that Howard is fighting for his spot on the 53-man roster against New York.

Is Rudolph Now A Roster Lock?

And the reason Howard is now on the bubble is because of McCarthy's endorsement of backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. The fact that he is not going to play at all, just like Rodgers, can only be interpreted as Rudolph's place on the 53-man roster is secured.

It's down to the two youngsters to force McCarthy to either carry four quarterbacks when the regular season begins, or make an extremely difficult choice regarding the quarterback room. This game against the Jets should provide some clarity on the situation.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!

Add us as a preferred source on Google