If you’ve been carefully watching the Steelers‘ games, you might’ve caught a quieter storyline bubbling in the quarterback room. Ever since Aaron Rodgers signed for the Steelers, we’ve been sure of two things: Rodgers as QB1, and Mason Rudolph as QB2. And that is the case for now. But that might change soon. And if this happens, it can be a good underdog story.

Skylar Thompson’s performance this preseason has made him hard to ignore. And Mike Tomlin sees it. “He’s got playing experience. This guy started games in Miami, and so I think that experience shows. And we’re talking regular-season games,” he said. Regular-season games as QB3 don’t seem likely, do they? He’s thinking what we’re thinking. Skylar might officially be in the QB2 conversation.

The box scores add to the story. Through the preseason, Thompson sits 3rd in the league with 346 passing yards, 3 TDs, and just 1 pick. Insane numbers for a guy who was penciled in as QB3 back in June. Mason Rudolph, by comparison, has 130 yards with 2 scores and 1 interception. And it’s not just the stats. You can see the pace and the conviction in his plays.

Zoom in on the finale in Charlotte, and it’s clear why the narrative is starting to flip. In the 19–10 win over the Panthers, Thompson carved up the defense, going 11-of-13 for 152 yards and a score. The veteran was running the offense on time and closing drives while the staff balanced reps across the room. That’s the kind of tape coaches flag when it’s time to lock in the 53 and set the depth chart.

And we aren’t the only ones betting on him. 2x Super Bowl winner Charlie Batch is jumping on the bandwagon, too. “I do believe that Skylar Thompson is in that conversation for the backup quarterback job with his play in the preseason.” Yeah, all this hype for a QB3 is almost unheard of. But that underscored just how much impact he has made this preseason.

Thompson is not a QB who has been consistent in the league. His days with Miami paint a dark picture. A round 7 pick of the 2022 draft, Thompson played just 7 games that season. After a poor show consisting of 1 touchdown and a 28.7 QBR rating, Tua Tagovailoa took over the reins. Not just that. In the 2023 season, he was the third-string quarterback for the Dolphins and was inactive for the first seven weeks before becoming the backup for the remaining 10 weeks, though he did not play in a game that season. The 2024 season wasn’t much different. He played just three games before being signed to a Reserve/Future Contract at the end of the 2024 season. But this season, he has displayed a different version of himself.

Add the overall context to the picture. Rodgers is running the show, DK Metcalf is adding to the arsenal, and a defense rebuilt for a deep push. Suddenly, the backup quarterback spot isn’t just filler. Indeed, it’s a role with real weight in a season where every piece has to matter.

And while we’re at Aaron Rodgers, he’s out there throwing threats.

Aaron Rodgers tells the OL to step up

Yeah, Rodgers has settled in, for sure. We know this is a rather young offensive line unit. And someone needs to be the leader. And Rodgers has taken on that role…a bit too seriously.

In true Rodgers fashion, he didn’t hesitate to turn teacher and tone-setter, calling out his offensive line after watching Skylar Thompson get knocked down on a hit that never should’ve happened.

“I told the line, ‘Don’t you ever let that happen again.’ I said, ‘We gotta protect each other. You guys are the policemen out there on the field. You’re the big brothers out there. You protect everybody, from DK [Metcalf] to me to whoever’s in there at quarterback, whoever’s in their at running back. I don’t care if it’s preseason practice, whatever, you gotta protect them,” he said on Cam Heyward‘s podcast.

And they needed this. Way too many fans called this signing a bust. And yeah, Rodgers is nowhere near what he used to be. Statistically, at least. But this is what he brings. A young OL needs a leader, and there’s no better candidate than Aaron Rodgers.

“When we’re going to take off as an offense is when those young guys start to figure it out and realize, ‘Oh, I can be a leader,'” Rodgers said. “That doesn’t mean I’ve got to step outside of myself personality-wise, but maybe just give a little bit more to this thing. I think it’s going to going to help us take off,” he added.

And who knows that better than a 21-year veteran? Rodgers’ leadership alone cannot make a good offense. The young guys need to step up. When those guys tap into their power, this offense has the potential to be one of the best in the league.