Once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers are seeing their timetable for a decision from Aaron Rodgers get pushed back. Although Art Rooney II is expecting one soon, there’s no sign of it coming before the draft, which starts Thursday night. And that Rodgers is 42 years old, there is always the chance he walks away from the game altogether. If that happens, it leaves Will Howard and Mason Rudolph as the only quarterbacks on the Steelers’ roster barring a draft selection.
With Rodgers still not in the building, Howard and Rudolph are splitting reps during voluntary minicamp, according to Mike McCarthy. But Howard getting first-team reps might not be the case once the season rolls around. At least not at first, according to Steelers insider Gerry Dulac.
“I think the other misconception is that Will Howard is going to immediately be that guy if Aaron Rodgers isn’t here. And I don’t think that’s the case. Mason Rudolph will go in as their starter, for now. And, you know, Will Howard will be developed. So there’s no guarantee that Will Howard’s going to be that guy,” Dulac said Tuesday on the VSiN By The Books show.
The Steelers have praised Howard throughout the offseason, but it would be bold to immediately turn over the offense to him. And for what it’s worth, Howard splitting QB1 reps isn’t exactly a stamp of approval as a starting quarterback. After all, he is a sixth-round pick with no NFL snaps under his belt. The Steelers would certainly need to see Howard prove himself before they hand him the reins over Mason Rudolph.
But Howard getting first-team reps right now does make sense. After suffering an injury just before the Steelers’ first preseason game last year, reps were hard for Howard after he came off injured reserve. The longer Rodgers isn’t in the building, the more time the new coaching staff gets to see Howard work with the first team.
And those reps matter much less for someone like Rudolph. He hasn’t been able to hold down a starting role throughout his professional career. But despite a new coaching staff, the franchise is very familiar with him.
The longer Rodgers takes to make a decision, the more reps Howard will get. The second-year man taking QB1 reps may continue well into offseason practices if Rodgers still hasn’t made a decision. But if Rodgers doesn’t come back to Pittsburgh, Dulac acknowledges that Howard’s going to have to prove himself more before he can take the starting role over Mason Rudolph.