The Pittsburgh Steelers are less than two weeks away from their preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers. It will be the first official, but also unofficial, game of the Mike McCarthy era in Pittsburgh. One of the biggest questions facing the team is whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers should see any preseason action. Rodgers is a 20-plus-year veteran and a master of McCarthy's offense, but it sounds increasingly likely that he will take at least a few snaps.
Rodgers and McCarthy both addressed the possibility of the four-time NFL MVP playing during the preseason in their first season working together in eight years.
“He [wants me out there] 30 or 40 plays,” Rodgers told The Athletic. “I said, ‘Mike, if you want me to play, I’ll play.’ I’m not saying I want to do it. But if he wants me to, I will.”
"We have plans ... he'd like to play. I'd like to see him play. But we won't make a decision until we get all the way up to it," McCarthy said via Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.
McCarthy wants everyone on the same page
McCarthy has emphasized attention to detail throughout training camp. From offensive alignments to overall execution, he believes mastering the fundamentals is the key to converting on third downs, capitalizing in the red zone, and winning situational football.
Because of that, giving his starting quarterback some live reps could prove valuable. While Rodgers already knows McCarthy's system inside and out, the Steelers do not have any joint practices scheduled this preseason.
That type of work helped Rodgers and his offense build chemistry before last season. The team held a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving the offense valuable reps against a different defense before Week 1. Had Pittsburgh scheduled joint practices this summer, it would have been easier to justify sitting Rodgers throughout the preseason. Instead, it makes sense to give him at least some live snaps against an opposing defense. The remaining question is how much he should play.
How much will Rodgers play?
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Chances are Rodgers won't see extensive action during the preseason. While he joked about playing 30 or 40 snaps, that seems unlikely. If he leads a couple of scoring drives across two preseason games, that should be enough to help him ramp up for the regular season.
Most of the quarterback reps should still go to Mason Rudolph and Will Howard over the first two preseason contests. Their battle for the backup job remains one of the team's most important competitions, and the Steelers need to see whether Howard is ready for the next step at the NFL level.
There is also the continued evaluation of Drew Allar. He has flashed encouraging signs throughout training camp, but preseason action will provide a much better gauge of his development. While those snaps won't replicate regular-season football, they will offer valuable insight into where he stands.
Ultimately, the preseason is about ironing out the wrinkles before the games begin to count. Rodgers should benefit from getting a handful of live reps, while the Steelers can continue evaluating the rest of their quarterback room.
