Think you can figure out which Steelers player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!
Hey Steelers fans! We’re back for another day of the Behind the Steel Curtain in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.
The goal of the game is to guess the correct Steelers player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.
After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.
B) You’re looking down the barrel of this 2025 season, wracked with anxiety about whether there will even be any good quarterbacks available for the Steelers in the draft, let alone if they will have the necessary pick to secure them. Unfortunately, I also count myself among you. We’ll get through this together.
C) You think it’s dumb to talk about the 2026 Draft just one month after the 2025 Draft. I disagree, but I get it, and hope I can provide you with some info and observations you’ll be able to use over the next 11 months.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Regardless of which type you are, there is no underselling how important next year’s draft in Pittsburgh will be for the home team. Finding a player that can stabilize the quarterback room will not only impact the next several years for the organization, but it will also impact the legacies of everyone from decision makers like Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan, to players still searching for a playoff victory like T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
That’s why I plan to follow along with the college football season and provide you with updated temperature reads on which quarterbacks are trending towards being first-round picks. With the college football season roughly 94 days away, the next several weeks seem like the perfect time to start familiarizing ourselves with the quarterbacks who could declare for the draft in 2026.
But, as a lifelong sports fan, I know how easy it is for biases against certain players — or more often, schools/teams — to cloud our judgment when it comes to talent evaluation. If the NFL Draft has taught us anything over the years, it’s that projecting quarterback success isn’t an exact science.
Entering their final year of college ball, neither Joe Burrow nor Jayden Daniels were considered a player who would hear their name called early on Night 1 of the draft. The same could be said of this year’s first overall pick, Cam Ward. After his 2023 season at Washington State University, Ward was advised he would not be considered a Day 1 prospect in the 2024 draft, so he made the wise decision to head back for one last year of school.
Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence was considered a generational, can’t-miss type of player, yet he hasn’t fully lived up to the potential we all envisioned for him so far. Caleb Williams didn’t have quite the same hype as Lawrence, but his debut season was bumpier than many anticipated.
Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
That’s why I wanted to find a way to present these players to you blind, at least initially, for this exercise. I want to combat those biases in you, the readers, as well as the ones I know I hold for some of these quarterbacks.
There’s also the issue that this class is marked by uncertainty. That’s not entirely unique this time of year, but it will mark the second straight class without a definitive frontrunner at quarterback.
Of the 15 quarterbacks I will profile in this series, only six are seniors or grad-transfers in the final year of their eligibility. The rest are all underclassmen who possess traits that could make them high picks if paired with an exceptional 2025 season, but who could just as easily decide they need one more year of seasoning before going pro.
And yes, that includes the quarterback prospect with the famous family and only two career starts. You know the one.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Add in that, generally speaking, we know only a handful of these quarterbacks will end up being worthy of a first-round grade. A class with three or more quarterbacks taken in the first is not always a given, as we just saw with the most recent draft class.
With all of those factors to consider, I knew contextualizing this crop of quarterbacks in a way that was equally informative and entertaining was not going to be an easy task.
But that’s when I had an idea.
While I’m certainly an NFL Draft nerd, I also have an interest in pop culture, including from eras before my time. While this may be the result of my childhood home having TV Land included in our television package, as I thought about how I wanted to talk about this group, I was reminded of the old game show The Dating Game.
First airing in 1965, The Dating Game had iterations air sporadically across the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, as well as a short-lived celebrity version that ran as recently as 2021. For those who have forgotten or weren’t alive when the show was at its peak in popularity, the show has a pretty simple premise: three contestants are hidden behind a barrier that allows their voices to be heard but keeps them out of sight from the person who will be interviewing them. That person takes turns asking each contestant questions about themselves, and then by the end of the show, they pick one to go on a “date” with.
Over the years, the show would include everything from regular folks, to pre-breakout celebrities such as Farah Fawcett and Arnold Schwarzenegger and even, infamously, a man who would go on to be convicted as a serial killer.
All of that’s to say, like this quarterback class, The Dating Game featured a mixed bag of characters.
With that in mind, I will be periodically releasing entries in this series over the next several weeks, leading up to the kickoff of the 2025 college football season. I’ve identified 15 quarterbacks that are either commonly discussed as potential first-round picks or that I think could rise to that level with a strong 2025 performance.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
While I hope to make a fun game out of obscuring their identities when I present them, I see no reason to hide that quarterback list from you now if you wish to get started on your own research. Leading up to the start of the college football season, I will present the cases for the following players, in no particular order or ranking:
During this series, I will try to keep my own biases in check about certain players — like Klubnik (positive) and Beck (negative) — as I present to you the positives and negatives about their football journeys so far. Each entry in the series will feature three signal callers whose identities will be initially withheld and then revealed at the end of the article.
This is where I’ll need your help. With each entry, I’ll need you, the audience, to vote in the poll at the end of each article and sound off in the comments to pick the “winner” from each installment. Then, before the first college game of the season, I’ll do a film breakdown of the five winners in our series and do one last vote to determine which player the BTSC readership is favoring in August. If nothing else, it’ll be fun to revisit after the season and see how good we were at determining which quarterbacks we’ll be talking about next spring.
The draft is just 337 away and counting, Steelers Nation. It’s time to get to work.
The Steelers’ legend is taking Howard under his wing
There is a lot to like about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard. The Ohio State National Champion quarterback hasn’t been able to stop praising Pittsburgh and the organization since being drafted in the sixth round. He infamously begged for the Steelers to be the team to draft him on Hey Rookie. Additionally, he named the Steelers as his dream team, saying he had a “soft spot” in his heart for the Steelers in the lead-up to the draft.
Howard’s unwavering love for the Steelers has earned him the support of fans and a Steelers legend. Ben Roethlisberger has become a close confidant of Howard and even invited both Steelers’ Ohio State draft picks, Howard and Jack Sawyer, onto his podcast after the draft. While joining Kay Adams on Up & Adams, Howard went into the relationship he and Roethlisberger have.
“He’s been really good,” Howard said. “He’s been super supportive of me through this whole process. Throughout now being a Steeler, getting to know him, he’s been really helpful for me. He texted me, checking [in] last week, you know, just been a really good mentor. I can see him being a good mentor for me going forward. He’s been super nice to me so far.”
Howard will certainly be a player fans are most excited to see in action this August during the preseason. Even if and when Aaron Rodgers makes his way to Pittsburgh, fans will want to see if Howard has the tools to potentially be the next man up at quarterback.
Paul Pierce weighs in on the rising Western Conference stars and says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander faces more pressure than Anthony Edwards to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals.
Ric Bucher says the Boston Celtics’ title window will stay open as long as Brad Stevens is running the show, and explains why Stevens’ leadership gives the team long-term championship potential.
Steel City Underground presents our 2024 Steelers Recall: a look back at Pittsburgh Steelers games and storylines from last season.
One of the more unpleasant things to cover in the world of football is the break between the final preseason game and the start of the regular season, as 32 NFL teams begin trimming their offseason rosters from as many as 91 players down to what will become their 53-man roster. Some additional players may be fortunate to sign on with a practice squad, but for those on this special exempted part of the roster – and a few at the bottom of the 53 – it’s a constant struggle to remain in the league.
As hundreds of players are released to be in compliance with NFL rules, there are surprises everywhere. Young players who didn’t live up to their billing or older veterans who are no longer a fit with their franchise are suddenly out of work.
The Steelers aren’t immune to these types of transactions. While the 2024 roster cuts weren’t as harsh as some in previous years, there was still plenty of speculation about roster moves and who would make the team. Let’s revisit some of those transactions in this week’s Recall column.
Want to know how surprising it is that Lowry and Lee made the team? At the time, Getty Images didn’t have a photo of either player, in a Steelers uniform, that we could use with this subheading!
Lowry, an eight-year NFL veteran, had a quiet preseason, participating in about half of each exhibition game. Lee, a sixth-round draft pick this season, did not play in the team’s preseason finale. It was speculated that both players could get cut, as the this pair of defensive linemen expands the group from six to eight.
If anything, it appeared to be an either/or situation, but it’s possible the Steelers didn’t want to risk exposing Lee to waivers. As it would turn out, neither player would contribute much during the regular season. Lowry appeared in twelve games, tallying a single sack and five combined tackles. Lee would be placed on the injured reserve list shortly after the first wave of releases were made. He would not play during the 2024 season.
There was no doubt that Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington would make the team. Connor Heyward, who is denoted as a dual position player (FB/TE) was also favored to make the cut.
Would the Steelers keep an additional, true tight end beyond the top two? It appears the answer was yes, as a favorite of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith made the cut. MyCole Pruitt, was a 32-year-old veteran entering his eleventh NFL season. The Steelers were his sixth team, and third that he’s played for under Smith.
Fullback Jack Colletto was released, creating a spot for Pruitt to make the team.
Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. That appears to hold true for the Steelers other sixth round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Ryan Watts, who limped off of field in Detroit. The Steelers announced that he was placed on injured reserve, without designation to return, ending his season.
Watts was having a great summer throughout training camp and the preseason, so while the news is a setback for his career, it opened the door for a fellow defensive back who was also competition for a roster spot.
Jalen Elliott really started to standout as the “real” game action got thick over the last few weeks of the summer. Unfortunately for both, their time with the Steelers was brief. Watts retired from football one month ago after being diagnosed with an injury that prevents him from playing. Elliott would be released on October 1st after dressing for two games as a special teams contributor.
Dylan Cook and Jeremiah Moon were both listed as injured reserve players with a designation to return.
The rules allow NFL teams to designate up to eight players to return off of the injured reserve list. In the past, teams would have to cut other players, allow their injured players to make the team (such as Cook or Moon) and then place Cook or Moon on IR to free up a roster spot to re-sign the other released players.
The league simplified this transaction mess for the 2024 season by giving teams the option to designate players for return before the season begins, forgoing the release/re-sign patter of the past. That means Cook and Moon’s seasons aren’t over. However, this wasn’t the case for players such as Ryan Watts, Nate Herbig, Breiden Fehoko, Grayland Arnold, and Julius Welschof, who were all placed on IR without a designation to return.
Cook made the team but was inactive for game days in 2023. He would provide depth at the tackle position, while Moon was listed on the team’s depth chart as the primary backup behind OLB T.J. Watt. Both Cook and Moon had to be on the injured reserve list for four games before a 21-day practice window could be opened to activate the player to the full roster. Moon would be activeated on October 5th while Cook was waived on October 31st and then re-signed to the practice squad on November 4th.
As for Cole Holcomb’s situation, the starting inside linebacker in 2023 was still recovering from a knee injury sustained the previous November, and started camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He was moved over to the same to start the 2024 season, but would never be activated. (Holcomb restructured his contract to return for the upcoming 2025 season.)
CB Cameron Sutton was on the Reserve/Suspended by Commissioner list while serving an eight game suspension due to off-field issues from earlier in the year. He was reinstated and returned to the Steelers in Week 9, playing in nine games.
Placed G Nate Herbig on the Reserve/Injured List, signed LB Kyahva Tezino and DL Marcus Haynes, and terminated CB Anthony Averett.
08/26/24
Released DB Kyler McMichael, K Matthew Wright, and OL Anderson Hardy.
08/26/24
Released DB Kiondre Thomas, DL Marquiss Spencer, LB Kyahva Tezino, OL Tyler Beach, OL Devery Hamilton, RB Daijun Edwards, WR Jacob Copeland, and WR T.J. Luther.
08/27/24
Waived LB Kyron Johnson, LB Luquay Washington, LB Jacoby Windmon, LB Marcus Haynes, DB Zyon Gilbert, DB Thomas Graham, DL Willington Previlon, DL Jacob Slade, OL Tykeem Doss, OL Joey Fisher, QB John Rhys Plumlee, RB Aaron Shampklin, RB Jack Colletto, TE Matt Sokol, TE Rodney Williams, WR Jaray Jenkins, WR Duece Watts, and WR Dez Fitzpatrick; Terminated, Vested Veteran WR Quez Watkins, RB La’Mical Perine, and RB Jonathan Ward; Placed DB Ryan Watts and LB Julius Welschof on Reserve/Injured List; Placed on OL Dylan Cook and LB Jeremiah Moon on Reserve/Injured List (Designated for Return); Placed LB Cole Holcomb on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List
08/29/24
Signed DB Anthony Averett, DB Zyon Gilbert, DB Thomas Graham, DL Jacob Slade, FB Jack Colletto, LB Marcus Haynes, RB Jonathan Ward, and TE Rodney Williams to the practice squad.
08/30/24
Added WR Quez Watkins to the practice squad.
08/30/24
Signed LB Devin Harper, LB Adetokunbo Ogundeji, OL John Leglue, OL Doug Nester, RB Boston Scott, WR Brandon Johnson, and WR Ben Skowronek to the practice squad.
09/02/24
Signed DB Ayo Oyelola to the practice squad.
09/03/24
Signed DT Cameron Heyward to a new three-year contract.
09/04/24
Placed RB Boston Scott on the Practice Squad/Injured List and signed RB Aaron Shampklin to the Practice Squad.
09/06/24
Signed TE Pat Freiermuth to a new five-year contract.
09/07/24
Placed DL Logan Lee on the Reserve/Injured List and elevated WR Ben Skowronek from the Practice Squad to the Active/Inactive roster.
Once it became clear neither Justin Fieldsnor Russell Wilsonwould return to the Steelers in 2025, the team pivoted to other options at the quarterback spot. One of those was a reunion with Mason Rudolph.
The former third-rounder drew interest from the Giants in free agency, but before a visit could be arranged he signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal to return to Pittsburgh. That pact came against the backdrop of the Titans showing interest in a 2025 arrangement after he played there last year, but Rudolph’s preference was to re-join the team that drafted him.
Owner Art Rooney II made it clear this offseason that Pittsburgh would target a starting-caliber passer in this year’s draft or the 2026 event, and of course for much of the spring the possibility of an Aaron Rodgerssigning has loomed over the organization. Rudolph has been made aware of the team’s plans under center throughout this process, though. The 29-year-old declined to get into specifics about conversations he had on that front, but Rudolph made it clear he knew competition would be coming after he signed.
“I assumed they were going to sign people and add to the roster because they always go to training camp with four quarterbacks,” the Oklahoma State product said (via Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show). “I knew that going in. I am going to respect the privacy of what [general manager] Omar [Khan] told me specifically. That’s for him to decide when, or whatever, they add a fourth.”
Rodgers and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin have remained in contact, and in the middle of the draft Rooney repeated his confidence that the four-time MVP will eventually sign. The latest development on that front saw the end of May floated as a potential deadline, and if Rodgers is in place by then (or later), he will take on starting duties for 2025. Until and unless that happens, however, Rudolph is atop the depth chart with the backing of Tomlin and Co. to handle QB1 duties if needed.
In 2023, a Kenny Pickettinjury opened the door for Rudolph to take over starting duties; he remained in that role even after Pickett was healthy down the stretch and through the wild-card round. Rudolph’s three interception-free starts helped get Pittsburgh into the postseason, although he struggled during the team’s loss to the Bills (during which he did throw a pick). Still, that showing gave Pittsburgh confidence in reuniting with him for at least a backup role in 2025.
The Steelers drafted Will Howardin the sixth round last month and still have Skylar Thompsonin the fold in advance of training camp. Rodgers could join that group, but even if that does take place Rudolph will not be caught off guard.
