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Mike McCarthy: 'Very accurate' to assume Steelers will keep 4 QBs on 53-man roster At this point in the preseason, it’s been presumed the Pittsburgh Steelers would keep four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster. Head coach Mike McCarthy all but confirmed that assumption following Thursday’s 28-27 preseason loss to Buffalo. “I think it's a very accurate evaluation on your part,” McCarthy said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I feel good about the quarterback room. I've been saying it for quite some time. We got two veterans that we can win with, and we got two young guys that we're really excited about their future.” Following the selection of Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and Aaron Rodgers' official decision to return, the question became how the Steelers would sort out a crowded QB room, with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard also in play. After the summer program, it became clear that the Steelers wouldn’t jettison Rudolph, preferring to keep a veteran presence behind the 42-year-old Rodgers. At that point, with zero chance the club would cut a third-round pick this early in the process, the only question was whether they’d keep or cut Howard, a 2025 sixth-rounder. Both Howard and Allar took extensive reps once again in the final preseason tilt. While neither looked as good as the impressive first outing in exhibition action, McCarthy liked what he saw and sounded like a coach who wasn’t planning to jettison a QB, regardless of how things went Thursday night. RELATED CONTENT “I feel really good about the body of work that we were able to accomplish, not just the quarterbacks,” McCarthy said. “It gives us a chance to set a plan as we go into these next 72 hours and get the roster in the best position we possibly can.” It’s not unheard of for a club to keep four QBs on its initial 53-man roster; however, it’s unusual -- some teams rarely keep three. It essentially means the club will be light in other areas, particularly special teams depth. However, with current practice squad eligibility rules, that isn’t as big an issue as it might have been in the past. Howard made the start on Thursday, completing 9 of 15 passes for 69 yards with two TDs and an INT. He also took three sacks. Both the Steelers' TD drives with Howard under center came inside the Bills' 28-yard line following a muffed punt and a 19-yard punt by Buffalo. It wasn’t the prettiest outing for the former sixth-round pick, who had some skittishness in the pocket and his interception came on a miscommunication with his receiver. Howard was being evaluated for a head injury after the game after getting hit hard several times on the night. Allar went 9 of 18 for 88 yards and led one TD drive in five second-half possessions. “I feel good about everything I put on tape," Allar said. “I think the biggest thing is I have a lot of great mentors between players and coaches to learn from. I feel like I’ve learned from the things that I haven’t done well and improved upon that.” In a perfect world, neither Howard nor Allar will see action the rest of the season. One reason McCarthy wanted both developing QBs to get so many preseason reps was because this could be the last time we see or hear from either until next offseason -- when the real battle between the two should begin.