This is the final in a series on the Steelers' roster as the team prepares to report to training camp at Saint Vincent College July 28. Today: Quarterback.
Quarterback: Drew Allar, Will Howard, Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph
From the moment they walk down the hill from the locker room to Chuck Noll Field, eyes will gravitate toward the Steelers' quarterbacks.
There's Aaron Rodgers as he approaches his last training camp. There's Mason Rudolph back for Year 8 in Pittsburgh. Then there are Will Howard and Drew Allar, the young bucks who are working to parlay their current development into a promising future with the team.
But it starts with Rodgers, the "old bull" as Rudolph referred to him during OTAs, well before the four-time NFL MVP took the pass-catchers to a ranch somewhere in the mountains out west. That was a team bonding session preceding Saint Vincent College, the ultimate spot for the Steelers to hunker down and come together as a group.
Rodgers raved about the experience away from home last summer, a throwback to his days staying in the dormitories at St. Norbert College, another green-and-gold Division III school, with Green Bay. Speaking of things coming full circle, Rodgers had to wait his turn as a backup for a few seasons with the Packers behind another Hall of Famer in Brett Favre.
Now he can continue to pour into Howard and Allar as they do the same. This time in the calendar is significant for everyone, but especially those two, who mostly will take a backseat once the regular season arrives.
Rudolph typically plays well in his preseason opportunities, though he, too, will be adjusting to a new offensive scheme for the third consecutive training camp. He has NFL starts and chemistry with the returning receivers working to his advantage as he gets ready to run the system for head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio.
Helping to fine-tune everything from footwork to throwing mechanics will be quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, back for his third season with the Steelers. Arth's tenure in Pittsburgh has spanned 10 quarterbacks and now multiple head coaches and coordinators, so his adaptability is a valuable asset for the room.
July and August will be a key time to assess the room. General manager Omar Khan has been determined to add quality depth at all positions each offseason, and quarterback is no different. It should make every snap of every period of every practice and preseason game fascinating, from beginning to end.
Best of all, the competitors involved all seem to have the right disposition to handle being under the microscope. If there's any NFL training camp setting that can simulate the pressure of playing in a game, it's thousands of fans sitting in the bleachers and on the grass in Latrobe, eager to catch an early glimpse of the 2026 Steelers.
You never know what you might see on a given day at practice. Maybe a no-look pass from Rodgers or Howard, a majestic deep ball by Rudolph or Allar. Factor in McCarthy's "quarterback school" background and extensive credentials coaching the position, and it's not a stretch to say intrigue for the position has rarely been higher in these parts.
