The Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off their final preseason game on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. However, don’t expect to see many stars on the field, as some of them didn’t even make the trip.
Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Watt Are Not in Buffalo
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported before kickoff that quarterback Aaron Rodgers, defensive lineman Cam Heyward and linebacker T.J. Watt didn’t make the trip to Buffalo.
Pryor also reported that wide receivers DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. didn’t make the trip since they have been dealing with minor injuries.
In the past, the final preseason game often served as a dress rehearsal. Usually, almost every NFL team would send its starters out for about a quarter to a half, since it was the last time teams would get to see real NFL action before the regular season.
But preseason has now been shortened to three games for each team not participating in the Hall of Fame game. Because of joint practices with other NFL teams, many organizations have decided not to play their players in the preseason.
Rodgers was never going to play in the final preseason game since he is 42, and any injury could occur at any moment. The Steelers want to minimize risk. Even though Watt is still young at 31, it wouldn’t make sense for him to play either, given his injury history. He is coming off a season in which he missed three games due to a collapsed lung.
Will Howard and Drew Allar Are in a QB Competition
The Steelers know Rodgers will be the starting quarterback in Week 1, with Mason Rudolph as the backup. But who will be quarterback No. 3 and maybe No. 4?
Will Howard and Drew Allar are currently competing for the No. 3 quarterback spot, and Howard got the start on Thursday. However, the Bills sacked him on the first play of the Steelers’ first drive.
The Steelers drafted Howard with the 185th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he didn’t have a preseason last year. Howard suffered a broken pinky finger in his throwing hand during training camp, which caused him to miss the preseason and a handful of weeks in the regular season.
Howard didn’t see any NFL action last season, and now he is competing with Allar, who the Steelers took in the third round of this year’s draft.
Allar has been more impressive through the first two preseason games, completing 21 of 36 passes for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, Howard is 17 of 24 for 160 yards and two interceptions.
There is belief that the Steelers will keep four quarterbacks on their active 53-man roster, even though teams usually keep only three and sometimes two.
But if the Steelers want to keep only three, Howard might be the odd man out, since there is no way Pittsburgh will part with Allar after selecting him four months ago.
Steelers Make Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt Decision Ahead of Final Preseason Game vs. Bills