Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson has played well in the preseason, and so much so that some fans think he could unseat fellow backup and projected QB2 Mason Rudolph for the job behind Aaron Rodgers.
But one Steelers beat writer, Mark Kaboly, isn't buying that.
"Let’s just stop this nonsense about Skylar Thompson being the No. 2 quarterback because he’s played better than (Mason) Rudolph," Kaboly said "I am not denying that Thompson hasn’t played well, but this is a quarterback who has started games in the NFL before, and now he is throwing the ball against third- and fourth-string defensive backs."
Adding to that, Kaboly believes Thompson won't even make the roster and the Steelers will instead keep rookie Will Howard in the QB3 spot.
"For my money, I still think Thompson gets cut and Will Howard assumes that No. 3 role despite still nursing a finger injury," Kaboly wrote.
We fully agree with Kaboly on both accounts.
Despite his lackluster showings, Rudolph has the trust of head coach Mike Tomlin and has proven he can more than keep an NFL team afloat (see: last three games of 2023). His two-year, $7.5 million contract is another reason Pittsburgh won't dump him as QB2 based off a few preseason games.
When it comes to Thompson sticking as the No. 3 quarterback, the only way that's going to happen is if Howard starts the season on injured reserve, as it would be foolish to cut a developmental quarterback for a career backup when Pittsburgh doesn't have a long-term solution at the position.
Howard's initial reported timeline to return was "at least three weeks," which means the earliest he's going to be cleared for practice is cutdown day on Aug. 26 (he suffered the injury on Aug. 5), so an early-season IR stint is very possible.
Even if Howard begins the year on IR, is it really worth keeping Thompson over having extra depth at another position?
After all, it's not like Thompson is a rookie and is still developing. He's in his fourth year in the NFL and it's very likely he has already hit his ceiling, and that ceiling is a career backup.
Besides, there's a decent chance Thompson will make it through waivers if he gets cut, in which case the Steelers will be able to keep him on the practice squad. If not, it's not like the Steelers are losing Ben Roethlisberger here.
Let's be honest: all this hubbub over the Steelers keeping Thompson is silly. If it ever gets to the point that the Steelers need to turn to him, they'll already be screwed.
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