Who Should I Start? Brett Rypien or Will Howard

Sunday, August 24, 8:12 PM

The Minnesota Vikings released quarterback Brett Rypien on Sunday as part of a shakeup at the position. Along with moving on from Rypien, they traded Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles and signed Carson Wentz. Their QB room now consists of new starter J.J. McCarthy, Wentz, and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer. Rypien spent most of last season on the Vikings' practice squad and didn't get into any games. The 29-year-old appeared in all three of the Vikings' preseason contests this month and combined to go 15-for-29 for 151 yards and an interception. That wasn't enough to convince the organization to retain him. Since going undrafted out of Boise State in 2019, Rypien has gotten into 10 games (all with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams) and completed 58.3% of passes with four touchdowns against nine interceptions.

Monday, September 1, 11:37 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (hand) remains in line to operate as the team's No. 3 quarterback once he's healthy enough to play. For now, Howard will miss the first four games of the regular season after being placed on injured reserve. However, once Pittsburgh activates him, he should replace Skylar Thompson as the third-string quarterback behind veterans Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. Howard had an impressive senior season at Ohio State as he completed 73 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while leading the Buckeyes to a national title. Howard didn't get into a preseason game, so Pittsburgh would truly need to have a quarterback emergency for the rookie to play a snap this season. However, plenty of teams have been forced to play or even start their third-string quarterback before, so we can't rule out Howard getting some reps when he's eventually activated in Week 5 or later.