He might have only been a sixth-round pick and doesn’t have much of a shot at starting in 2025, assuming Aaron Rodgers signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but former Ohio State quarterback and national champion Will Howard finds himself in one of the better rookie QB situations in the NFL.
At least, that’s how Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman sees it.
Wasserman ranked Howard No. 6 out of 12 rookie quarterbacks based on situations, stating that Howard finds himself in an intriguing situation due to the uncertainty around Rodgers.
Howard finds himself behind the New York Giants’ Jaxson Dart, New Orleans’ Tyler Shough, Tennessee’s Cam Ward, Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel/Shedeur Sanders, and Seattle’s Jalen Milroe among best rookie QB situations in the NFL.
“If Rodgers signs with Pittsburgh, Howard becomes a developmental third-stringer behind the future Hall of Famer and Mason Rudolph,” Wasserman writes. “If Rodgers chooses not to play, Howard likely slots in as the backup to Rudolph and could be one play away from game action.
“The positive? He’s no stranger to high-pressure spots after leading Ohio State to a national title and earning a career-high 85.7 passing grade last season.”
Ideally, Rodgers signs with the Steelers, solidifying the starting quarterback job in 2025 and relegating Mason Rudolph to a backup role. That would then push Howard into the QB3 role, which is what team owner and president Art Rooney II stated would be what the Steelers were searching for at the quarterback position in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving them someone to develop long-term.
But if Rodgers doesn’t sign all bets are off. Rudolph would be the starter, but Howard could be in line to start at some point in 2025. Therefore, that makes it quite intriguing for the former Buckeyes standout.
With Pittsburgh, Howard is in a place he wanted to be all along, and he fits offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme quite well.
Not only is it a good fit scheme-wise, but play style and build-wise, Howard lands in quite a good spot in Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania native is that big, strong, physical quarterback who fits what the Steelers typically look for throughout their history. Howard showed that size, strength, and confidence during his collegiate career, particularly at Ohio State, though he had some great moments at Kansas State, too.
During his collegiate career, Howard started 44 games, including 28 at Kansas State and all 16 last season at Ohio State while leading the Buckeyes to the national championship. He also displayed the ability to pick up a new offense quickly, doing so with Chip Kelly’s scheme at Ohio State, turning it on in the playoffs, and playing at a high level, putting himself on the map in a major way when it came to the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, he’s in Pittsburgh, where he’s hoping to go from a good scheme and culture fit to a good starting quarterback for the Black and Gold. He could be quite the sleeper, one who develops into that starting quarterback for the Steelers.
He’s in a good situation overall, regardless of what develops for the Steelers in the next few months at the quarterback position. That has to be comforting to him.
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