The Pittsburgh Steelers recently finalized their 53-man roster for the upcoming regular season. On their final roster, the front office and coaching staff made the choice to keep all four quarterbacks. In his final NFL season, legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be the starter. Behind him on the depth chart will be veteran backup Mason Rudolph, rookie Drew Allar, and second-year signal-caller Will Howard.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recently shared his opinion of Pittsburgh deciding to keep four quarterbacks on their final roster. In fact, he seems to be more than in favor of the decision.
Pittsburgh Steelers Believe in Both Young Quarterbacks
Here is what Orlovsky had to say via The Pat McAfee Show on Monday about Pittsburgh deciding to keep four quarterbacks on its final roster, including Will Howard and Drew Allar:
“I think (the Steelers) like both of those young players. Year two, Will Howard. Year one, Drew Allar. I think both of those guys did things in the preseason that you have to be intrigued by…Keeping four (quarterbacks) does make sense because if I was Pittsburgh, I would not want to move on from Will Howard or Drew Allar. I could move on from Mason (Rudolph), but I don’t know if I want one of those guys playing for me in a regular-season game right now…”
Orlovsky could not be more right in his assessment. Simply looking at the 2026 season, Pittsburgh is ready to roll with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time under center in Aaron Rodgers. He will have a quality backup in Rudolph behind him on the depth chart. Then, it gets very interesting with Rudolph and Allar just starting under head coach Mike McCarthy’s tutelage.
Mike McCarthy is Right to Keep Four Quarterbacks
Few NFL head coaches in history have understood the quarterback position better than Mike McCarthy. Having worked with notable quarterbacks such as Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith, and Dak Prescott, the Super Bowl-winning head coach has developed an elite understanding of how to evaluate the position. He successfully navigated the transition from Favre to Rodgers in Green Bay, and that resulted in a Super Bowl title, along with eight consecutive playoff appearances. That is why Steelers fans should trust McCarthy’s mind.
He could have chosen to cut ties with a player like Rudolph, but if Rodgers were to get hurt, Pittsburgh would have to move forward with either Allar or Howard, who both have no real-game NFL experience. Furthermore, Allar and Howard are both essentially rookies. The latter is entering his second NFL season, but he was not drafted with McCarthy in the building. Both deserve time to learn a little bit more from both McCarthy and Rodgers before one is left to find a new team.
Dan Orlovsky Shares Strong Opinion of Steelers Roster Decision