Steelers’ Cam Heyward expects ‘battle’ between Howard, Rudolph to succeed Rodgers

While Steelers fans are eager to see what Will Howard can do, Pittsburgh veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward would like to remind everyone that Pittsburgh still has a veteran quarterback with NFL experience on the roster not named Aaron Rodgers.

There has been considerable hype surrounding Howard since he was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round of last year’s draft, hype that was heightened when Pittsburgh coach Mike McCarthy. excited about Howard’s potential during his introductory press conference. And while Howard could very well become Rodgers’ heir apparent, Heyward doesn’t think it’s a foregone conclusion.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Mason Rudolph,” said Heyward, who spoke to CBS Sports via USAA. “I think both of those guys give us a leg up in different ways. Mason earned his spot. He went to Tennessee (for the 2024 season), came back, and when Mason needed to step up, he did it in those moments.

“With Will, I think there’s a lot of intrigue there because he didn’t play his freshman year. He didn’t get as many reps as he wanted, but when he got those reps, he made the most of them, especially in practice. He was always trying to compete with those, and when you look at his track record winning a national championship at Ohio State, you’re like, ‘Man, what can he do at the next level?’

“So we’ll see. I know we’ll have a little bit of a battle there. You never know who the third quarterback is going to be to round out that group.”

As Heyward mentioned, Howard never took live reps in an NFL game after suffering an injury early in training camp last summer that kept him from playing during the preseason. Rudolph, however, has played in countless preseason games and 34 regular season games during his career, dating back to the 2018 season. Rudolph has made 19 regular season starts and in 2023 became the first Pittsburgh quarterback to start a playoff game in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.

Rudolph has had his moments, like in 2023, when he came off the bench to lead the Steelers to three straight wins to clinch a playoff spot. But for all his success, Rudolph never had a legitimate chance to become a starting quarterback in the NFL, leading some to speculate that he may have already reached his ceiling.

Conversely, Howard’s potential as an NFL quarterback is unknown at this point, which is why Steelers fans are eager to follow his progress over the coming months.

One question that remains unanswered is whether Howard and Rudolph will compete as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback or as Rodgers’ replacement, since Rodgers has yet to publicly confirm his plans for this season. But no matter what Rodgers does, the Steelers will add another quarterback to the roster and will likely do so with one of their 12 draft picks.

As for Heyward, he continues to be highly motivated as he continues to prepare for what will be his 16th season in the NFL. Heyward, the 31st overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, is the longest-tenured Steeler in four years (kicker Chris Boswell, who arrived in Pittsburgh in 2015, is the team’s second-longest-tenured player). He is a seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro and is second behind teammate TJ Watt on the Steelers’ all-time career sacks list.

Heyward has also received recognition during his career for his extensive work in the Pittsburgh community. In 2023, Heyward was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

For all his individual successes, Heyward still has more to accomplish.

“I want to continue to achieve my goals,” he said. “I want to continue to work on my legacy. … Obviously, I want to win a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. And I want to continue to grow. I feel like there’s a lot more for me to do in this league. … Hopefully when I call it a career, I can be proud of everything I’ve done.”

This year’s NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, just outside Acrisure Stadium, where the Steelers have played their home games since 2001. Prior to the first round of the draft, Heyward will participate in the Salute to Service event which will include 100 local military personnel from all branches of service stationed near Pittsburgh.

“We want to celebrate them,” Heyward said. “We want to have a moment where we can shine a light on them and have fun.”