The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback room is suddenly cramped.
Aaron Rodgers' return for one final ride, coupled with the drafting of Drew Allar in the third round, makes four signal-callers in the QB room, with veteran Mason Rudolph and second-year pro Will Howard completing the crew.
On Wednesday, new coach Mike McCarthy said it's a good problem to have, and quipped that he hopes to find a way to keep all four on the roster.
"We've definitely got four that we love, I can say that," McCarthy said. "You always have to develop the room. That's always been the approach. We're hoping that (general manager) Omar (Khan) can get the roster expanded to 55 and we can keep four. It's a really good room. This is a good place to be, having four guys that can play."
The 42-year-old Rodgers is the starter, that is known. The question is how the other three sort themselves out.
The chatter from Pittsburgh suggests that while Rudolph might be the easiest to move on from, the Steelers seem inclined to keep him as a veteran No. 2 in case injury befalls Rodgers. Howard didn't take a snap as a rookie, but he has received praise this offseason and has taken the second-team reps early in the spring. Simple math, however, suggests he'll have to battle to stick on the roster. The Steelers used a third-round pick on Allar. It would be a surprise to cut bait on the rookie who is reportedly getting a mechanics overhaul from the new staff.
"Mason has a lot of experience," McCarthy said. "We're trying to develop Will and Drew as well as we can. Will is ahead of Drew, just based on the fact that he's been here."
Keeping four quarterbacks is a rarity. It might leave the Steelers short elsewhere. Ideally, Pittsburgh would cut one of the youngsters, then sign him to the practice squad, but that leaves them open to getting poached by another club.
The offseason work should give us a better picture, particularly their play during training camp and preseason.
With Rodgers' experience and knowledge of McCarthy's offense, the Steelers can afford to divvy up reps more readily than most teams with a clear starter. Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said earlier this week that the club has a plan to split reps to benefit all four.
"One thing coach McCarthy talks about is the development training of the quarterbacks," Angelichio said, via the . "I think with the system that's in place here, it's great that we have four quarterbacks. It's something that we're really excited about. We have a good plan of how we are going to get those guys reps, so they all can continue to develop."
Rodgers' return for one final campaign was part of the QB puzzle in Pittsburgh. What's left is determining how the rest of the room shakes out.
