There’s a lot to talk about with the quarterback room assembled by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, the most popular topic is the third passer to make the roster, a battle between Will Howard and Mason Rudolph.

There’s even a small chance the Steelers keep four quarterbacks, as some believe. But to CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt, it’s time to appreciate the group as a whole.

“Aaron Rodgers is what makes this room solid for me. Because I love the fact that he played some good football down the stretch of the season,” Hunt said Friday on CBS Sports HQ. “And I just love the potential… I love what he [Will Howard] brings to the table. And Drew Allar, the good prospect that comes in as a rookie…I like the fact that this group has what it has, paired with their quarterback guru there, Mike McCarthy.”

Hunt ranked every quarterback room in the AFC. He put the Steelers in third, behind Houston and Cincinnati. Considering how little consistency the Steelers have had at this position in recent years, it’s encouraging to see them ranked this high. Hunt had Pittsburgh above teams like Baltimore, Kansas City, Buffalo and New England.

That’s because of the overall talent the Steelers have in their quarterback room. Aaron Rodgers isn’t currently a better quarterback than any of the starters on those four teams. However, he was solid in key games down the stretch last year and took the Steelers to a divisional title.

Rodgers can’t totally carry an offense on his own anymore, but the Steelers have done well to add more talent around him this offseason.

Beyond that, Mason Rudolph has been a safe backup option throughout his career. And while neither Will Howard nor Drew Allar have taken NFL snaps yet, they do represent some potential filling out the room.

However, if you have all these candidates at the position, that also means you don’t have one franchise guy. After Aaron Rodgers retires, which will be at the end of the season unless he changes his mind, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a sure answer.

Howard and Allar are encouraging, but sixth- and third-round quarterbacks aren’t a sure thing. And if the Steelers remain competitive in 2026, they’ll have to navigate their way toward the top of the first round to land one of the best quarterbacks.

That said, there are more reasons for optimism at quarterback this year than the Steelers have had in a while. They have a competent starter, a competent backup and two intriguing young options. Hunt believes they could do a lot worse.