The Pittsburgh Steelers have a quarterback controversy, just not one at the top of the depth chart. There's no question when the Black and Gold run out of the tunnel at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 7 that it'll be Aaron Rodgers leading the team against the New York Jets in Week 1.
But a strong preseason from Skylar Thompson and an injury to sixth-round draft pick Will Howard has definitely ramped up the intrigue of roster cut-down day on Tuesday for the quarterback position.
Thompson joined the Steelers on a future contract this January — not usually a strong start when it comes to making the 53-man roster. When the team drafted Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, Thompson already felt like an afterthought.
When Howard surprised with a strong start to training camp, Thompson's roster chances looked dead in the water.
Howard broke the pinky finger on his right hand during a training camp practice at St. Vincent College on Aug. 19. That made Thompson the de facto No. 3 quarterback for the preseason, even though Howard had been taking reps ahead of him throughout most of the team's time at St. Vincent College.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson in a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 21, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
That changed in a big way in the preseason. Thompson took advantage of the additional reps, finishing the preseason as the NFL's best passer . Over three games, he completed 41 of 56 passes (73.2%) for 498 yards (8.89 yards per attempt), four touchdowns, one interception, and a league-best 116.5 passer rating.
The best of the best don't play enough in the preseason to quality for the stats leaderboard, but compare Thompson's to the numbers of projected New Orleans Saints starter Tyler Shough , for example: 36 of 54 (66.7%), 333 yards (6.16 y/a), 1 TD, 1 INT, 81.8 rating.
The numbers tell quite the tale, and Thompson feels like they say he belongs on an NFL roster.
"Yeah, I do feel like I've solidified myself and shown that they can trust me," Thompson said after practice on Sunday. "It's the unfortunate part of the business, injuries happen to present an opportunity."
This isn't Thompson's first rodeo at the NFL level. He made the Miami Dolphins ' active roster as a seventh-round rookie in 2022 — also on the back of a strong preseason performance. When Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater were injured, he ended up playing seven games and making two stars. The preseason success didn't carry over.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson warms up before the start of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Again in 2024, he played in three games as a backup to Tagovailoa, but managed just a 78.7 passer rating. He was waived by the Dolphins late last season.
"I feel like sometimes in the past, I've tried to be too perfect a little bit," Thompson said. "I feel like that's kind of taken away from me being myself. And that's the biggest thing that I've learned, I think, coming into this opportunity, is I gotta be myself. I can't be something that I'm not. And I feel like when I have that approach and that mindset, I make more plays than I don't. And I feel like that's set me free a little bit coming into this preseason. A lot of me go out there and have fun and have fun playing the game again and loving playing with my guys."
Thompson's strong play has made for a tough choice for the Steelers. They can try to sneak Howard or Thompson through waivers. They can start Howard on the injured reserve list to start the season. They can also see if a team wants to make a trade for one of their quarterbacks, like the Las Vegas Raiders , who will be without backup Aidan O'Connell for a while.
It won't be an easy choice, no matter what. But that's exactly what Thompson set out to do this preseason.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Strong Play from Skylar Thompson Creates Steelers QB Controversy
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