Steelers keep 4 QBs on 53-man roster

The Steelers seemed worried about the Colts’ pass rush today, so there were a lot of quick-hit passes from Rodgers. The vast majority of them went to running backs or tight ends. Only nine of Rodgers’ 22 completions went to wide receivers, and 80 of his 235 passing yards came on a short pass to Jaylen Warren that the running back took up the sideline for a long touchdown. That’s not to say Rodgers didn’t play well. He did a good job avoiding sacks and not taking negative plays, but the Steelers’ offense didn’t look very potent outside of two explosive plays from Jaylen Warren. They may find things a little bit tougher against the Bucs next week.

Rodgers was under constant pressure from an unrelenting Cleveland pass rush, taking five sacks while throwing two interceptions in the loss. The offense struggled to maintain consistent efficiency as the Steelers fell into a 21-7 hole in the second quarter, eventually requiring more Rodgers fourth quarter heroics to knot the game at 24 with under two minutes to play. That would be enough time for Deshaun Watson to get the Browns into field goal range for the go-ahead kick with 10 seconds remaining. With just one timeout in hand, the Steelers were forced into downfield aggression on the final play of the game, which resulted in the second of two Rodgers interceptions. The Steelers have now been involved in three one-score games through four weeks, something both Steelers fans and those familiar with head coach Mike McCarthy are all too familiar with - two of those games resulted in wins. Up next for Rodgers and the Steelers are the reeling Colts in Week 5, against whom Rodgers will remain a middling QB2 in fantasy circles.

Rodgers’ first throw of the game came on a 30-yard dump-off to Jaylen Warren, but three plays later, Rodgers would connect with a wide-open Roman Wilson down the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown. That would be the first of two touchdowns Rodgers would throw in the first quarter, with his second coming on a play-action pass to Ben Skowronek for a 23-yard score. Rodgers and the offense would stall a bit in the second quarter, with an interception on a dropped pass by Roman Wilson highlighting their struggles, but in the second half, the Steelers would rip off four plays for 20-plus yards to keep the pressure on the Bengals’ defense. Rodgers threw a six-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf in the third quarter to put the Steelers up 24-20, and benefited from a long catch-and-run by Darnell Washington on a 47-yard play that helped set up an eventual field goal by Chris Boswell. This was easily the best game of the season for Rodgers, who averaged a solid 7.1 ADOT on his completed passes against a Bengals defense that was solid through the first two weeks. Despite the strong outing, Rodgers shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a QB2 in Thursday’s game against the Browns.

Rudolph has been discussed as a potential trade target in past seasons, and the Steelers notably kept four quarterbacks on the roster after cut-down day. Fields, we suppose, could be expendable if the Chiefs really like rookie QB Garrett Nussmeier.

The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo penned a rather pessimistic assessment of the Steelers’ current state on Sunday night. We can’t necessarily blame him. The results have been disappointing. Perhaps thinning out the playbook will pay off. McCarthy believes QB Aaron Rodgers “could play with any volume of game plan, but at the end of the day, it’s a team game.” DeFabo notes that the Steelers moved WR DK Metcalf into the slot at times, attempting to avoid Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez’s coverage, but Gonzalez surprisingly trailed him, and Metcalf turned in an inefficient outing.

Rodgers led an anemic offense in a defense-heavy matchup with the Patriots for Week 2. The Steelers began the day with a couple of three-and-outs and were unable to find chunk plays the whole game. Rodgers fumbled in the second quarter on a play that pushed the Steelers back 37 yards due to a game of pinball in an effort to scoop up the ball; the play kicked the Steelers out of field goal territory. He later fumbled for a Pats scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter. Rodgers’ second turnover was an interception coming off a Germie Bernard bobble in the fourth quarter. A 4.8 yards per attempt mark indicates an offense that cannot push the ball downfield. Fantasy managers will not see chunk gains from Rodgers, who should be a fantasy QB3 for Week 3 against the Bengals.

Rodgers averaged just 5.5 yards per completion and didn’t complete a single pass over 20 yards downfield, going 0-for-6. He was also just 4-for-14 for 64 yards when he was under pressure. That being said, he also didn’t make many bad decisions and threw a couple of beautiful passes in tight windows over the middle of the field. It’s a new season, but this doesn’t really feel much like a new Steelers’ offense, which means the ceiling might be low when it comes to fantasy production. Rodgers remains just a QB2 option next week against the Patriots.

It was trending this way after Porter Jr. missed all of training camp with a back injury; however, the Steelers had held out hope that the 26-year-old would be able to return to the field for Week 1. Unfortunately, it sounds like the issue preventing him from being on the field may be more about a new contract than his back. The Steelers will likely turn to Asante Samuel Jr. to take Porter Jr.'s role, and it might matter more if the Falcons weren’t starting Cooper Rush at quarterback. The Steelers’ other inactives are QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, OG Gennings Dunker, DL Kevin Jobity Jr., and DL Gabriel Rubio.

The only QB who truly felt like he was on the roster bubble this offseason was Will Howard. The former sixth-round pick immediately found himself in competition for a roster spot after the Steelers used the No. 76 pick in this year’s draft to select Penn State’s Drew Allar, but it would appear that Howard’s spot on the roster is safe for now. Speaking after the team’s preseason finale against the Bills, McCarthy said that he feels good about the team’s quarterback room and suggested that we can expect both players, along with Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, to all be on the roster after cutdown day. Howard threw for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions this preseason, while Allar threw for 351-2-0 but completed just 55.6 percent of his passes. We wouldn’t expect either QB to see the field in the regular season.

Allar struggled more in his second taste of preseason action, taking three sacks while completing only 47.8 percent of his passes, but were it not for three dropped passes and some garbage-time heaves on the game’s final drive, his box score would have looked a little better. Allar’s most impressive throw came on his second drive of the game, when he evaded pressure and ran left to throw a 38-yard ball down the sideline that was placed neatly between two defenders to receiver Lake McRee for a big gain. In the fourth quarter, he would connect with Isaiah Winstead on a 17-yard gain, again on a tight pass near the sideline for his second-longest completion of the night. Allar fared better than second-year QB Will Howard, who completed 10-of-15 passes for 74 yards but was picked off twice in the first half. We would expect both quarterbacks to get extended opportunities in next week’s preseason finale against the Bills on Thursday. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers are planning on keeping both Howard and Allar on the roster, but Mason Rudolph will serve as the team’s QB2 behind Aaron Rodgers.