The Pittsburgh Steelers have some serious quarterback issues. The 2025 NFL Draft has completed and the organization still does not have a legitimate starting quarterback option on the roster. Aaron Rodgers is still making up his mind on what he wants to do with his future, and every comment from the franchise has made it seem like there is a ton of confidence that the four-time MVP will eventually end up in Pittsburgh. However, that outcome seems more and more unlikely as each passing day goes by without more confirmation from Rodgers. Without him, Pittsburgh's starter would presumably be Mason Rudolph.
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Former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers puts both his arms in the air to celebrate a big time touchdown at home during the 2024 NFL season.
Pittsburgh should not be content with going into the season with Rudolph as the expected starting quarterback for 17 games. The rest of the roster is simply too talented to be doing that, but trading for a player like Kirk Cousins is also an absurd idea. A great outcome of the current quarterback situation is that sixth-round pick Will Howard is somehow able to surprise some people and get onto the field, and play well enough to become the starter. That is a lot to ask of a sixth-round pick, but late-round picks have found their way onto the field plenty of times before.
NFL Draft expert Todd McShay spoke about Pittsburgh drafting Howard recently on The McShay Show, and he was completely pleased with the selection. He loved the pick for Pittsburgh, and he explained that his experience and readiness could lead to him seeing the field.
"I love the Will Howard pick," McShay said. "I love the Will Howard pick. I love the Will Howard pick because you know what, and I'm going to keep emphasizing this so people understand: when you're drafting a backup, he is like an administrative assistant to the offensive coordinator and the quarterback and you want a guy who's gonna come in and is ready mentally and is mature and can handle those duties. And then those duties allow, they buy him time in practice in preseason to showcase, 'Hey, maybe we got more than just a backup here.'"
The expectations for Howard are fairly low. No one is drafted in the sixth round and is expected to come into the league and be the starter right away. He will surely begin the season as a backup, it just depends whether or not he will be right behind the starter if it is Rudolph, or if he will be the third quarterback if Rodgers does eventually sign.
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Steelers' Will Howard runs the field during his time playing with the Buckeyes in college in 2024.
McShay believes Howard will be able to fulfill everything he is asked to do for the Steelers immediately in his role as an "administrative assistant." This could lead to him seeing more reps during practice sessions, and that paired with a good performance in the preseason could lead the organization to believing in Howard a little bit more.
Howard has shown nothing but poise and complete control over the last year or so of his football career. He went through plenty of adversity during his season at Ohio State, but he led his team through an absolute gauntlet on the way to winning the National Championship. The guy has the makeup and mentality to be a starter in the league, he just needs to put it all together when given the opportunity.
Steelers' Will Howard Should Be Hoping For Aaron Rodgers Not To Sign
Howard's stance entering the 2025 season entirely depends on who else the Steelers add at quarterback. If Rodgers comes in, Howard will more than likely be the third quarterback on the depth chart, which means it will be hard for him to get any reps against any starters during practice. This will make it difficult for him to develop, and it gives him basically zero chance to have any sort of opportunity to prove himself to the coaching staff.
Jacob Kupferman / AP photo
Will Howard celebrates a strong run during the National Championship against Notre Dame.
If Rudolph is the starter and Howard is the backup, Howard would still see a decent amount of snaps in practice. There is also a low chance that Rudolph will be able to string together 17 consecutive starts without having some of his disaster performances along the way, which could lead to Howard making his NFL debut.
What do you think is the ceiling for Howard in his NFL career? Let us know in the comments below!
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