The Pittsburgh Steelers might have a bit of a conundrum on their hands at quarterback leading into final roster cuts, thanks to the strong preseason performance of Skylar Thompson and the injury to rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard, which caused him to miss the entire preseason.
Behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph as the top two quarterbacks, the Steelers have a decision to make: keep Thompson and place Howard on the Reserve/Injured list and designate him to return later in the season? Or risk cutting Thompson and trying to sneak him onto the practice squad, keeping Howard safe on the 53-man roster?
Steelers GM Omar Khan has a real decision on his hands.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes he should have another decision on his hands, too. Like trading for the Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson, who lost the starting QB battle in training camp to Daniel Jones, putting him at No. 2 with an uncertain future outlook with the Colts.
It’s a move that Barnwell — and many others — have pushed the Steelers to make in recent years as Richardson has struggled and the Colts haven’t exactly handled him well. But now, Barnwell is doubling down on it.
In a piece for ESPN.com highlighting some trades he’d like to see before the start of the regular season, the Steelers acquiring Richardson for a 2026 fourth-round pick is something Barnwell wants to see.
“The Steelers would land Richardson with two usage cases. One would be for the future, which might charitably be described as a big question mark in Pittsburgh,” Barnwell writes. “Aaron Rodgers will turn 42 in December, while backup Mason Rudolph wasn’t able to convince the organization to make him the long-term starter in his first stint with the team. There’s some early excitement around rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard, but he has missed the preseason with a broken pinky.
“Plus, it’s always optimistic to believe a sixth-round pick is going to turn into a starting quarterback, even if there is just one very famous exception from the Big Ten.”
From a talent perspective and from a future outlook perspective in Pittsburgh, trading for Richardson on the cheap makes a good deal of sense. He’s still just 23 years old, and he’s big and strong with a rocket for a right arm. He’s also a powerful runner, too, one who fits the mold of the dynamic, game-changing quarterback in today’s NFL.
He just hasn’t come close to putting it all together, though, and has struggled with injuries. Coming into the summer, Richardson was dealing with a shoulder injury, which limited him in the offseason. In the preseason he suffered a dislocated pinky and was limited again.
When he was healthy, he struggled with consistency. That’s a big reason he lost the QB battle in Indianapolis to Daniel Jones. The Colts believe it’s a good chance for Richardson to reset, sit and learn behind an NFL veteran, but it seems like a situation that isn’t going to go anywhere positive, which has his name floated as a trade candidate.
With Pittsburgh rolling with Rodgers for the 2025 season, and Rudolph not offering much long-term promise, it makes sense why the Steelers keep being talked about as a great landing spot for Richardson.
“The other case revolves around Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. Arthur Smith’s predilection for the run game is well-known, and while he hasn’t always had quarterbacks who could feature in the designed run game, he built in concepts for Marcus Mariota and Justin Fields to make an impact with their legs,” Barnwell adds regarding Richardson and the Steelers. “Richardson can inherit the package of run concepts Fields ran a year ago, and if Rodgers gets hurt or struggles, Smith could try to build an entire game plan around those strengths, just as Titans predecessor Matt LaFleur did for Malik Willis in Green Bay last season.
“Could the same organization that once developed Kordell Stewart into a player who received MVP votes turn Richardson into its quarterback of the future?”
Having Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator and taking a shot with Richardson would be ideal, considering the success he’s had in the past getting talented quarterbacks with rushing abilities to play smart, sound football and tap into their strengths. Smith did it just last season with Fields and has a track record of it with Marcus Mariota, too.
But is that something the Steelers want to do this late in the summer and have to not only spend roster spot on Richardson but try and design a package for him? That seems unlikely.
Add that the Steelers under Khan don’t want to trade any 2026 draft picks — of which they have a projected 12 — and it’s clear that a move for a quarterback like Richardson simply isn’t happening, especially not at a price tag of a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Instead, the Steelers will roll with what they have and save that draft capital to potentially try and trade up to land their quarterback of the future in what appears to be a loaded 2026 draft class at the position. That the draft will be in Pittsburgh, too, makes it all the more enticing to go that route, rather than trading for a talented but underdeveloped QB in Richardson, even if the fit seems strong and could create some real potential moving forward.
