Mike Tomlin doesn’t do panic. He does recalibrate. The Steelers’ head coach had a plan: get rookie quarterback Will Howard live reps early, evaluate him against live pressure, and slowly mold him behind Aaron Rodgers. That plan? Shattered, thanks to a broken finger on Howard’s throwing hand. No surgery required, but he’s out for the preseason. Suddenly, Pittsburgh’s quarterback rhythm had to change, and fast.

So, Mike Tomlin did what he always does: adapt without blinking. Within 48 hours, the Steelers had already signed Logan Woodside, the veteran QB who’s bounced between backup rooms and clipboard duty. Not flashy, but reliable. A stabilizer. Exactly what Tomlin needed to avoid grinding Skylar Thompson into the turf.

But this isn’t just about reps. This is about the system. You could feel it shifting even before players hit the field. Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora mentioned, “QBs coach Tom Arth and offensive assistant Matt Baker talked before practice, each holding a play card and going over today’s install.” That’s not just routine. That’s an adjustment. Quiet conversations between assistants, new plan, new flow, maybe even new protections for a camp body like Woodside, who just walked through the door.

And once the balls started flying, the shuffle was obvious. Kozora added, “With Will Howard injured and only three quarterbacks working, the center/quarterback snaps the team works on before every practice looked slightly different. Frazier and Aaron Rodgers and Ryan McCollum, and Mason Rudolph were still the first- and second-string duos. Nick Broeker and Max Scharping split reps with third-stringer Skylar Thompson.” It’s patchwork. Controlled chaos. But still unmistakably Tomlin.

He’s not just plugging holes; he’s installing a new sequence entirely. One that keeps Rodgers in rhythm, gets Rudolph live looks, and lets Woodside and Thompson sort out who gets to play clean-up in the fourth quarter of meaningless games that matter more than people think.

Aaron Rodgers ready to risk it all for Mike Tomlin

At 41, Aaron Rodgers isn’t supposed to be here, not in black and gold. Not waking up to training camp aches and Saint Vincent College humidity. And certainly not prepping for a preseason game with third-stringers and castoffs. But here he is. Strapping up. Grinning through bruises. Talking about playing the August 9 preseason opener against Jacksonville like it’s just another part of the deal.

“It’s an interesting conversation,” Rodgers said, his voice carrying the kind of casual defiance only a four-time MVP can afford. “I think Mike and I have that at some point. I don’t think it’s in the plan for me to play this week, but whatever Mike wants to do, I’m fully on board.”

He doesn’t need this, but he might want it, the reps, the rhythm, maybe even the hit. Hard to believe, right? The same guy who once treated preseason like a bad commercial break, now flirting with the idea of strapping up in August again. He played an exhibition game in 2023 before his Jets debut, a blink-and-miss return that ended in disaster. Before that? You’d have to scroll all the way back to 2018 to find Rodgers taking a snap in a game that didn’t count. Now, he’s older than some offensive coordinators and still choosing violence. That says something.

Rodgers isn’t just tolerating this new role. He’s embracing it. Opening up the playbook. Chatting with Arthur Smith about philosophy, not just formation. That kind of buy-in? We haven’t seen it in years. A-Rod added, “He’s (Smith) not rigid at all. Everything’s a conversation.”

It’s refreshing. And maybe telling. The Steelers‘ offense looked like mush the first 10 practices. Let’s not sugarcoat it. The seven-shot drill, Tomlin’s favorite chaos generator, was an embarrassment for the starters. Rodgers looked slow, out of sync, maybe even old?

But something shifted this week. The timing’s tighter. The trust is forming. Rodgers called it “progress.” Tomlin likely has another word. Maybe hope. And now, just maybe, Rodgers wants to get hit. Shake off the rust. Feel the pocket collapse and remind himself and the league, he’s still got some dog left.