Aaron Rodgers' Backups Battle with Allar, Howard Addressed by McCarthy Before Steelers' Roster Cuts

Even though there is no drama about who the starting quarterback will be for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the competition behind Aaron Rodgers has been fierce throughout the preseason.

With the Sunday deadline for teams to cut their rosters down to 53, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy called it a "very accurate evaluation" to assume Mason Rudolph, Drew Allar and Will Howard have all played well enough to earn a spot on the team.

"I feel good about the quarterback room," McCarthy said after Thursday's preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. "I've been saying it for quite some time, and they've showed it on the field. We got two veterans that we can win with, and we got two young guys that we're excited about the future."

As has been custom for Rodgers in the later stage of his career, he didn't play in the preseason for the Steelers. His absence gave a lot of runway for Allar and Howard to get playing time.

Rudolph at this point in his career is the established veteran backup in Pittsburgh. He is entering his eighth season with the Steelers since being drafted in 2018. His lone year away from Pittsburgh was in 2024 when he signed with the Tennessee Titans.

Not surprisingly, Rudolph looked very efficient in the preseason by completing 10 of 11 attempts for 93 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Allar and Howard are two potential wild cards in the mix given their youth. Howard is entering his second NFL season after being a sixth-round pick in 2025, but he didn't play as a rookie.

The Steelers selected Allar in the third round of the 2026 draft. He was the fourth quarterback off the board after Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson and Carson Beck.

Allar received the most reps of the three quarterbacks in preseason, finishing 30-of-54 for 351 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Howard went 26-of-39 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, but his three interceptions is a potential concern.

Coming out of the Steelers' preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, McCarthy said they viewed Allar as a "first-round pick" in this year's draft.

That would seem to indicate Allar is safe to make the roster, but that would also force the coaching staff to potentially make a tough call because few teams carry even three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

Cutdown day is at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday for all 32 teams.