Ryan Shazier doesn’t know much about the new Steelers quarterback, Will Howard; he just knows that he’s a winner. Last year, Howard led Shazier’s Ohio State Buckeyes to the national title, which doesn’t hurt. Before that, he led Kansas State to a conference title, and did so with lesser talent.
For that reason, Shazier is excited to see Howard follow him from Ohio State to the Steelers. Granted, despite all of his winning, Howard still fell to the sixth round. He returned to college in 2024 in the hopes of improving his draft stock. Despite winning the national title, it didn’t really work out that way. But it’s not when you’re drafted, he said; it’s where.
“I knew. He’s a winner,” Shazier told Arthur Moats on the Arthur Moats Experience podcast about Will Howard. “The one thing that you could say about Will Howard is that he’s a winner. I understand that he lost two games this year, and I know a lot of people talk about when he slid and all that type of stuff,” he added, referring to one infamous incident when Howard slid too late and a game ended in a loss. But Shazier said the real problem in that game was the play-calling.
While the Steelers drafted Howard in the sixth round, they also passed on him for five rounds. Considering their need at the quarterback position, they obviously have some reservations about his potential, as well. He doesn’t have an elite arm, for one thing, nor did he have elite production.
Will Howard believes he grew significantly during his one season at Ohio State, though, and that growth will continue with the Steelers. Pittsburgh obviously hopes for the same, but they are not holding their breath, either.
The Steelers seem to be angling to make a move up in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Suffice it to say that Howard would have to pull off a minor miracle to convince them between now and then not to draft a quarterback they really like.
Currently, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph, Howard, and Skylar Thompson at quarterback, with Aaron Rodgers lurking in the shadows. This is a short-term setup, which everyone involved understands. Rudolph is signed through 2026, and of course, Howard is on the books through 2028. That’s more continuity than they have had in recent years, but they still don’t have a franchise quarterback.
It’s understandable that Steelers fans want to hope for the best in Will Howard, though, on many levels. For one thing, they are desperate for a playoff win, and that’s hard to come by without a franchise quarterback. Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, they haven’t had even the ghost of one.
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