This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers once again find themselves with a completely new quarterback room. Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen are all with new teams. The Steelers brought Mason Rudolph back, so there’s a little familiarity there. They also signed Skylar Thompson and drafted Will Howard, although neither of them project to be high-level players this year. The quarterback room still feels underwhelming. Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel thinks fans should be worried about it.
“Scared because they were 10-7 last year with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson,” Daniel said Monday on FS1’s The Facility. “I like Will Howard, I think he’s gonna be a developmental guy. You’ve got Mason Rudolph starting.
“Who knows what Aaron Rodgers is doing? He could retire. He could decide not to play. I think if he plays, it’s probably gonna be for Pittsburgh. But Aaron Rodgers has got all the leverage. You did nothing, Pittsburgh Steelers, to take the leverage away from Aaron Rodgers. So, Aaron Rodgers can now wait as long as he wants.”
Daniel is likely right that some fans are concerned about the team’s plan under center. When Rudolph was last with the Steelers, he helped them make the playoffs. He didn’t even play that poorly in their postseason game. There are probably worse options at quarterback than him.
However, that doesn’t mean the Steelers’ ceiling will be high with Rudolph starting for an entire season. Even if their defense is outstanding, can they compete with the other top teams in the AFC? That seems doubtful.
Howard was fantastic during his final collegiate season last year, but Daniel is correct that he likely needs to develop more to be a successful NFL quarterback. Rudolph would probably give the Steelers a higher floor and ceiling than Howard, at least for this season.
Maybe Howard will become a capable NFL quarterback one day. However, at the moment, Rodgers looks like the Steelers’ best option if they want to improve on their 2024 campaign. There’s no telling when, or if, he’ll return to football, though. It sounds like Rodgers is dealing with some serious personal issues, and he’s not sure when he’ll have time to totally commit to the NFL.
Right now, things look bleak for the Steelers’ quarterback position. However, it feels like the team is confident that they’ll eventually land Rodgers. If they do, they should be able to field a competitive team in 2025. Fans might worry about the team with or without Rodgers, though. The Steelers will still need to find a long-term answer under center.
