Crowded QB Room: Howard, Allar and Rudolph make Steelers’ 53-man roster
Throughout training camp Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy stated repeatedly that the team was comfortable keeping four quarterbacks.
He was telling the truth.
All four quarterbacks that were in training camp, starter Aaron Rodgers and backups Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar are on the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster, which was finalized on Sunday.
The Steelers are not alone in keeping four quarterbacks.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons all kept four.
Baltimore, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Rams also kept four, but one Skylar Thompson (Ravens), Dillon Gabriel (Browns) and Matthew Caldwell (Rams) was designated for injured reserve, meaning only three are on the roster.
A handful of veterans were part of the final round of cuts: linebackers Malik Harrison and Elandon Roberts, running back Travis Homer and defensive linemen Esezi Otomewo and Dean Lowry.
Mt. Lebanon native Eli Heidenreich made the roster along with all 10 of this year’s draft picks.
Heidenreich’s former teammate at Mt. Lebanon and Navy, Alex Tecza, was one of the first round of cuts on Saturday after joining the Steelers as an undrafted free agent.
Joey Porter Jr., who’s in a contract dispute with the Steelers, was activated on the physically unable to perform list to the active roster. Porter, who held-in all training camp, can return to practice if he chooses to do so.
As part of the roster trimming, the Steelers made a pair of trades.
The Steelers sent running back Kaleb Johnson to the Packers in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round selection. Johnson was a third-round pick last year. Green Bay added Johnson after starting running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list while two misdemeanor charges against him are pending.
The Steelers sent offensive tackle Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys in a deal that included an exchange of draft picks. Jones was the 14th overall pick out of Georgia in the 2023 draft and played 45 games in three seasons with the Steelers. The Cowboys have had nagging questions at tackle all of training camp.
Pittsburgh received third and sixth rounds pick in the 2027 draft and sent a fourth-round pick with Jones to Dallas
Around the NFL
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis was among more than 1,100 players cut Sunday as NFL teams trimmed their rosters.
A second-round pick in 2023 who started 21 games for the Titans, Levis was stuck behind Cam Ward and Mitch Trubisky. He was 5-16 for Tennessee in two seasons and didn’t play in 2025 following shoulder surgery.
Levis said he believes he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
“I feel like you’ve got to have that confidence in yourself regardless of your position,” Levis said after going 14 for 22 for 143 yards against the Bears in a 24-15 loss to close out the preseason. “I saw a quote, I forget who it was, but it’s, ‘Everyone in the league here is a starter.’ You’ve got to have that mentality. You could be in at the press of a button and just be ready to play. That’s one thing that I feel like I gained a lot in my time away, is gaining back some of the confidence that I lost throughout the last year that I played and I’m going to maintain that mindset the rest of my career.”
Three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made the New York Giants after missing the 2025 season.
The Vikings kept J.J. McCarthy, a first-round pick in 2024. Anthony Richardson, a first-round pick in 2023, remains with the Colts. Both quarterbacks were on the bubble.
Trades
Quarterback Quinn Ewers and defensive lineman CJ Okoye. Quarterback Kyle McCord, tight ends Hunter Long and Mark Redman, tackle Walter Rouse, defensive back Clark Phillips III, defensive lineman Gervon Dexter, centers Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Jarrett Patterson were all traded.
A day after trading Ewers to Jacksonville, the Dolphins landed a new backup quarterback by acquiring McCord from Green Bay for a 2028 sixth-round pick. The Dolphins had acquired a 2028 sixth-round pick from the Jaguars for Ewers.
McCord threw four touchdown passes in a 42-38 victory over Arizona on Friday, including two in the final 3 1/2 minutes. But the Packers signed Tyrod Taylor in May to back up Jordan Love.
McCord will back up Malik Willis.
The Cardinals acquired Long and a 2028 seventh-round selection from Jacksonville for a sixth-round selection in 2028. Long has 20 receptions for 153 yards in 46 games.
The Colts got Van Pran-Granger and a 2027 seventh-round pick from Buffalo for a 2027 sixth-round selection. Van Pran-Granger appeared in 18 games, including one start with the Bills in two seasons.
The trade is an indication starter Connor McGovern will be ready to go after missing much of the past month with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Lloyd Cushenberry had replaced McGovern when he was sidelined.
The Bears acquired a 2027 fifth-round pick and Phillips from Atlanta for Dexter.
The 49ers added a backup center in Patterson from Houston for a 2027 seventh-round pick, a person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity because it hadn’t been announced.. Patterson started 21 games over the last three seasons after being a sixth-round pick by the Texans in 2023. He will back up Jake Brendel in San Francisco. The Niners had signed Brett Toth to fill that role in the offseason but he has been out since early August with a concussion.
The Packers continued to boost their tight end depth by acquiring Redman from the Rams for a 2028 seventh-round pick. The move comes three days after Green Bay signed veteran tight end Jonnu Smith.
The Vikings sent Rouse and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2027.