Aaron Rodgers Camp Update — August 31: Zero Snaps All Summer

Aaron Rodgers' preseason is over, and the snap count reads zero. Only Will Howard and Drew Allar played quarterback in Thursday's 28-to-27 loss in Buffalo, per Brian Batko at Steelers.com, and Bob Labriola's list of the 27 core players held out of the finale opens with Rodgers' name. So the conditional our last episode ended on is resolved: his first snap against a live pass rush since last season comes September thirteenth against Atlanta.

The roster kept four quarterbacks around him — Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Howard and Allar, with Rudolph retaining the number two job, per Teresa Varley at Steelers.com. Batko wrote that it would have been a surprise if they didn't keep four, with the team high on the young quarterbacks and uncertain at the position beyond this year; his preseason accounting has Howard at 26 of 39 for 229 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for a 67.2 rating, against ratings of 87.8 for Allar and a hundred 1.9 for Rudolph. Mike McCarthy's framing of the room: "We've got two veterans that we can win with, and we've got two young guys that we're really excited about their future," per Jim Wexell at Steelers.com.

Two things around Rodgers moved. His top receivers came back: DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Junior both returned to practice Monday, August 20-fourth, in pads, per Chris Ward at Steelers Now — though no report in the week describes Rodgers working with them, or describes his own practice participation at all. And the line in front of him changed shape: Pittsburgh traded Broderick Jones and a 20 27 fourth-round pick to Dallas for third- and sixth-round selections in that same draft, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo at NFL Network, via Josh Carney at Steelers Depot — Jones had allowed five pressures and three sacks on a hundred 40 preseason snaps coming off spinal fusion surgery, per Carney — while first-round rookie Max Iheanachor's finale included a sack allowed and a holding penalty, per Batko. Former Steeler Charlie Batch's read on the right tackle spot: "That is a problem," per Adam Miller at Steelers Depot.

Back in June we previewed Rodgers as a quarterback in his forties still producing his usual 14-points-a-game season, the case resting on the McCarthy reunion and a remodeled receiver room. The August version of that case is now fact rather than forecast: zero Rodgers preseason snaps, receivers back only in the last week, no reported joint work. That is untested, not deficient — the reporting supports no stronger word — but the assembly of this offense now happens entirely in the two weeks before it plays for real. We'll check in again as the opener approaches.

_Data via nflverse._