THE REALITY OF THE QB SITUATION

The reality of the Steelers' quarterback situation:

Will Howard is a non-factor.

The longest of longshots.

A very unlikely candidate to come good.

He's a fan-fiction folk hero.

Howard is a mere sixth-round pick, passed over multiple times by every team in the NFL. (Yeah, I know. Same as Tom Brady. Howard isn't Brady.)

Yet Howard has somehow gone up in your estimation without taking so much as a pre-season snap.

If Aaron Rodgers does show up, he's more likely to get hurt or have a terrible season than he is to upgrade last year's meh performance.

As Michael Wilbon said, "Aaron Rodgers is not LeBron James. We have a five-year sample that proves it."

Rodgers isn't the NFL MVP anymore.

He's Grandpa Game Manager.

You can hope for better from both Howard and Rodgers.

But hope isn't a strategy.

Mason Rudolph is a career backup.

Drew Allar has massive potential. But he's a project.

The quarterback room has quantity.

Maybe that can yield quality.

Or perhaps the Steelers' long-term quarterback isn't yet in that room. (Though Allar is by far the best bet of those assembled.)