The Pittsburgh Steelers are about to go radio silent over the next month. Training camp in Latrobe opens the last week of July and for all intents and purposes, that serves as the start of the Steelers’ 2026 season. But before they get there, they will go on Summer break, and before that, everyone who has signed a contract in Pittsburgh is required to show up for what is called mandatory minicamp.

For the Steelers, that minicamp begins this week, running Tuesday June 2, through Thursday, June 4. Unlike the last few weeks of OTAs in Pittsburgh, not showing up to minicamp is a fineable offense. So today, we are going to look at the top 3 storylines heading into the final key marker of the offseason.

Does Will Howard maintain his status as QB No.2?

Dating all the way back to voluntary minicamp when Aaron Rodgers had yet to sign and Drew Allar was still a draft prospect, Howard had the upper on Mason Rudolph. He has been seen taking the second team reps during the public portion of OTAs while Rudolph has maintained a third team roll.

If that continues at mandatory minicamp, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Rudolph heads into camp, and the 2026 season on the roster bubble. Unless of course, there is a convoluted plan and the Steelers have a trick up their sleep to keep four quarterbacks on the team in 2026. If not, someone has to go, and that someone will likely be Mason Rudolph if things hold firm.

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How do Roman Wilson and Kaleb Johnson look?

Two holdovers from the Mike Tomlin era who could be viewed as roster bubble candidates are Kaleb Johnson and Roman Wilson. The latter of those two has stacked together an impressive OTAs, taking WR No. 3 reps ahead of rookie Germie Bernard. Mike McCarthy has spoke glowingly about Wilson and with a solid three days, he can set himself up nicely for training camp.

Kaleb Johnson on the other hand, faces an uphill battle. Johnson’s struggles during his inaugural campaign are well documented at this point and the offseason moves by the Steelers didn’t help.

They added multi faceted competition with the additions of Rico Dowdle, Travis Homer, and Eli Heidenreich, all of whom have a role or niche that Johnson doesn’t \, especially with Warren in the backfield. Johnson will need a big camp, and this mandatory period should serve as precursor to that.

Does anyone skip mandatory minicamp?

Again, while OTA participation is encouraged, it’s not mandatory. Players seeking new deals like Joey Porter Jr., Nick Herbig, and Alex Highsmith may look to send a message to the front office by announcing their absence ahead of time.

We have seen in years past with players like T.J. Watt, though one could argue he has the built up equity to do such a thing. Either way, it’s a storyline to watch when things get under way on Tuesday.