This is a response to a local reporters article, I won't reference the article or source, but here is my thoughts on why the Steelers should keep 4 QBS- I wrote it in article form:
The Steelers have four quarterbacks who appear capable of belonging on NFL rosters this fall.
That's not a problem.
It's an opportunity — and Pittsburgh would be making a mistake by giving one of them away simply because carrying four quarterbacks is unusual in today's NFL.
Aaron Rodgers is the starter. Mason Rudolph is the experienced backup. Will Howard and Drew Allar are young developmental quarterbacks whom Mike McCarthy and the Steelers clearly believe have potential.
So why should Pittsburgh be in a hurry to get rid of one?
The argument against keeping four quarterbacks usually starts with the same premise: A fourth quarterback is wasting a valuable roster spot that could instead be used on a running back, offensive lineman, defensive back or special-teams player.
That sounds reasonable until you look at how NFL rosters actually work.
The Steelers can have 53 players on their regular-season roster, but only 48 normally dress on game day when the required number of offensive linemen are active.
In other words, five players on the 53-man roster aren't going to be part of the normal game-day lineup anyway.
One of those players can be designated as the emergency third quarterback. He doesn't count among the normal 48 active players and can enter only if the first two quarterbacks are injured or disqualified.
So let's say Rodgers and Rudolph are active.
Howard could be designated as the emergency quarterback.
And Allar could simply be one of the other inactive players.
What exactly has been "hindered"?
The fourth quarterback isn't taking a helmet away from a running back who otherwise would be covering kicks that afternoon. The Steelers already are going to have several members of their 53-man roster inactive every week.
Meanwhile, positions such as running back are exactly the kind of places where a team can use its practice squad for additional depth.
The NFL allows a 16-player practice squad, and teams can temporarily elevate practice-squad players during the season. If Pittsburgh believes it needs another running back, receiver, defensive back or special-teams contributor for a particular matchup, it has mechanisms for doing that.
The Steelers' bigger concern should be losing a quarterback prospect they actually value.
Put Howard or Allar on waivers with the intention of bringing him back to the practice squad and every other NFL team gets an opportunity to claim him.
That's considerably different from keeping an extra running back or depth player available on the practice squad.
Quarterback is the most difficult position in professional sports to find.
When you have two young quarterbacks worth developing, why voluntarily throw one back into the league simply because keeping four quarterbacks isn't fashionable?
And the circumstances surrounding these particular four quarterbacks make keeping them even more logical.
Rodgers is the starter, but he isn't Pittsburgh's long-term future.
Rudolph provides the experienced insurance a team trying to win now needs, but he isn't signed as the organization's quarterback for the next decade either.
That makes Howard and Allar especially valuable.
They aren't redundant pieces. They are two relatively inexpensive chances at solving the most important position on the roster after Rodgers is gone.
Nobody knows whether either will develop into a legitimate NFL starter.
That's precisely why keeping both makes sense.
The Steelers don't have to decide today which one is better.
Give McCarthy a full season to work with them. Let them practice against an NFL defense every week. Let them sit in quarterback meetings with Rodgers and Rudolph. Let the coaching staff see how each processes the offense, develops mechanically and handles NFL preparation.
Then make the decision with a year of information rather than a handful of preseason quarters.
Friday's 17-0 loss to the Jets shouldn't dramatically change that thinking.
Howard threw two interceptions and struggled.
A week earlier, he completed 7 of 9 passing, 86 yards, plus 1 rush for 2 yards in the preseason opener.
Allar wasn't spectacular against New York either, completing 11 of 23 passes for 110 yards. But one week earlier, he completed 10 of 13 for 153 yards and two touchdowns while adding another touchdown on the ground.
That's exactly why making a long-term quarterback decision based upon one preseason game would be foolish.
Young quarterbacks are inconsistent.
That's why they're developmental quarterbacks.
The question isn't whether Howard or Allar is ready to replace Rodgers in September. The question is whether either possesses enough ability to potentially become significantly more valuable after spending a season developing under McCarthy.
If the answer is yes, keep both.
The alternative is protecting a 53rd player at another position who very possibly won't dress on Sundays anyway and who may be far easier to replace through the practice squad or waiver wire.
There is also a simple matter of value.
If Howard or Allar develops, even into a high-quality No. 2 quarterback, his value to Pittsburgh — or his eventual trade value — could greatly exceed that of the last running back, sixth cornerback or ninth offensive lineman the Steelers would otherwise protect.
And if one actually develops into a starting-caliber quarterback?
Then keeping four quarterbacks for one season will look like an extraordinarily inexpensive investment.
Mike McCarthy has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the quarterback position and has said, in effect, that a team can't have too many good quarterbacks.
He's right.
The Steelers don't need four quarterbacks active on Sunday.
They need four quarterbacks under organizational control.
Those are two very different things.
Rodgers and Rudolph can handle the immediate job. Howard can serve as the emergency third quarterback. Allar can be inactive while continuing to develop. The Steelers can use their practice squad and weekly elevations to maintain depth at positions where interchangeable players are much easier to find.
And remember what we're debating.
We're not talking about sacrificing T.J. Watt, a starting offensive lineman or a core special-teams player to retain Drew Allar or Will Howard.
We're talking about the 53rd roster spot.
If Pittsburgh believes both young quarterbacks have legitimate developmental value, using that spot to protect one of the most valuable commodities in football makes far more sense than keeping an extra position player simply because NFL teams traditionally don't carry four quarterbacks.
The Steelers actually can have it all.
They can try to win now with Aaron Rodgers.
They can protect themselves with Mason Rudolph.
They can develop Will Howard.
And they can develop Drew Allar.
If one of the young quarterbacks eventually proves he isn't worth keeping, the Steelers can make that decision later.
But once they expose one to waivers, they might never get the opportunity to make it.
That's why the unusual move isn't necessarily the wrong move.
In this case, keeping four quarterbacks may be the smartest use of the Steelers' 53rd roster spot.
The Steelers have four quarterbacks who appear capable of belonging on NFL rosters this fall.
That's not a problem.
It's an opportunity — and Pittsburgh would be making a mistake by giving one of them away simply because carrying four quarterbacks is unusual in today's NFL.
Aaron Rodgers is the starter. Mason Rudolph is the experienced backup. Will Howard and Drew Allar are young developmental quarterbacks whom Mike McCarthy and the Steelers clearly believe have potential.
So why should Pittsburgh be in a hurry to get rid of one?
The argument against keeping four quarterbacks usually starts with the same premise: A fourth quarterback is wasting a valuable roster spot that could instead be used on a running back, offensive lineman, defensive back or special-teams player.
That sounds reasonable until you look at how NFL rosters actually work.
The Steelers can have 53 players on their regular-season roster, but only 48 normally dress on game day when the required number of offensive linemen are active.
In other words, five players on the 53-man roster aren't going to be part of the normal game-day lineup anyway.
One of those players can be designated as the emergency third quarterback. He doesn't count among the normal 48 active players and can enter only if the first two quarterbacks are injured or disqualified.
So let's say Rodgers and Rudolph are active.
Howard could be designated as the emergency quarterback.
And Allar could simply be one of the other inactive players.
What exactly has been "hindered"?
The fourth quarterback isn't taking a helmet away from a running back who otherwise would be covering kicks that afternoon. The Steelers already are going to have several members of their 53-man roster inactive every week.
Meanwhile, positions such as running back are exactly the kind of places where a team can use its practice squad for additional depth.
The NFL allows a 16-player practice squad, and teams can temporarily elevate practice-squad players during the season. If Pittsburgh believes it needs another running back, receiver, defensive back or special-teams contributor for a particular matchup, it has mechanisms for doing that.
The Steelers' bigger concern should be losing a quarterback prospect they actually value.
Put Howard or Allar on waivers with the intention of bringing him back to the practice squad and every other NFL team gets an opportunity to claim him.
That's considerably different from keeping an extra running back or depth player available on the practice squad.
Quarterback is the most difficult position in professional sports to find.
When you have two young quarterbacks worth developing, why voluntarily throw one back into the league simply because keeping four quarterbacks isn't fashionable?
And the circumstances surrounding these particular four quarterbacks make keeping them even more logical.
Rodgers is the starter, but he isn't Pittsburgh's long-term future.
Rudolph provides the experienced insurance a team trying to win now needs, but he isn't signed as the organization's quarterback for the next decade either.
That makes Howard and Allar especially valuable.
They aren't redundant pieces. They are two relatively inexpensive chances at solving the most important position on the roster after Rodgers is gone.
Nobody knows whether either will develop into a legitimate NFL starter.
That's precisely why keeping both makes sense.
The Steelers don't have to decide today which one is better.
Give McCarthy a full season to work with them. Let them practice against an NFL defense every week. Let them sit in quarterback meetings with Rodgers and Rudolph. Let the coaching staff see how each processes the offense, develops mechanically and handles NFL preparation.
Then make the decision with a year of information rather than a handful of preseason quarters.
Friday's 17-0 loss to the Jets shouldn't dramatically change that thinking.
Howard threw two interceptions and struggled.
A week earlier, he completed 7 of 9 passing, 86 yards, plus 1 rush for 2 yards in the preseason opener.
Allar wasn't spectacular against New York either, completing 11 of 23 passes for 110 yards. But one week earlier, he completed 10 of 13 for 153 yards and two touchdowns while adding another touchdown on the ground.
That's exactly why making a long-term quarterback decision based upon one preseason game would be foolish.
Young quarterbacks are inconsistent.
That's why they're developmental quarterbacks.
The question isn't whether Howard or Allar is ready to replace Rodgers in September. The question is whether either possesses enough ability to potentially become significantly more valuable after spending a season developing under McCarthy.
If the answer is yes, keep both.
The alternative is protecting a 53rd player at another position who very possibly won't dress on Sundays anyway and who may be far easier to replace through the practice squad or waiver wire.
There is also a simple matter of value.
If Howard or Allar develops, even into a high-quality No. 2 quarterback, his value to Pittsburgh — or his eventual trade value — could greatly exceed that of the last running back, sixth cornerback or ninth offensive lineman the Steelers would otherwise protect.
And if one actually develops into a starting-caliber quarterback?
Then keeping four quarterbacks for one season will look like an extraordinarily inexpensive investment.
Mike McCarthy has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the quarterback position and has said, in effect, that a team can't have too many good quarterbacks.
He's right.
The Steelers don't need four quarterbacks active on Sunday.
They need four quarterbacks under organizational control.
Those are two very different things.
Rodgers and Rudolph can handle the immediate job. Howard can serve as the emergency third quarterback. Allar can be inactive while continuing to develop. The Steelers can use their practice squad and weekly elevations to maintain depth at positions where interchangeable players are much easier to find.
And remember what we're debating.
We're not talking about sacrificing T.J. Watt, a starting offensive lineman or a core special-teams player to retain Drew Allar or Will Howard.
We're talking about the 53rd roster spot.
If Pittsburgh believes both young quarterbacks have legitimate developmental value, using that spot to protect one of the most valuable commodities in football makes far more sense than keeping an extra position player simply because NFL teams traditionally don't carry four quarterbacks.
The Steelers actually can have it all.
They can try to win now with Aaron Rodgers.
They can protect themselves with Mason Rudolph.
They can develop Will Howard.
And they can develop Drew Allar.
If one of the young quarterbacks eventually proves he isn't worth keeping, the Steelers can make that decision later.
But once they expose one to waivers, they might never get the opportunity to make it.
That's why the unusual move isn't necessarily the wrong move.
In this case, keeping four quarterbacks may be the smartest use of the Steelers' 53rd roster spot.
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