Steelers Now
Ben Roethlisberger pushes the Pittsburgh Steelers to have quarterback competition this summer.
Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t want the Pittsburgh Steelers just handing out jobs this summer with any competition, and he believes that starts at quarterback.
The Steelers already have their undoubted starter in Aaron Rodgers, but Roethlisberger thinks his former team should let veteran Mason Rudolph and rookie Will Howard battled it out for the backup role.
“I would split time with Mason and Will in the preseason,” Roethlisberger said on the latest episode of “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.” “I think they’d be playing for the backup quarterback job, and whoever plays better is my two. So, that would be the smartest move to do in the preseason. Let these guys battle.”
Pittsburgh reunited with Rudolph in March after he spent the 2024 season with the Tennessee Titans. He had spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Steelers, who selected with the No. 76 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The 29-year-old has plenty of starting experience. He was first thrust into the starting role when Roethlisberger was lost for the season in 2019 due to an elbow injury in the first half of Week 2.
Rudolph started eight games and completed 176 of 283 passes (62.2%) for 1,765 yards (6.2 yards per attempt), 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The Steelers then turned to Rudolph once again in 2023 when quarterback Kenny Pickett was lost to a high-ankle sprain late in the season.
Rudolph responded with the best play of his career, completing 55 of 75 (74.3%) for 719 yards (10.5 yards per attempt) and a 118.0 quarterback rating. He led Pittsburgh to three straight victories and a playoff spot, before losing in the Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills.
However, Roethlisberger has been a fan of Howard even before the Steelers selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Howard led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a College Football National Championship in 2024 while throwing for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and rushing for 226 yards and seven more scores.
If Howard can translate his play to the next level, he may just give Rudolph a run for his money this summer.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Ben Roethlisberger Hopes Steelers Have QB Competition
