New Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers spoke to the media for the first time on Tuesday. He fielded a ton of questions about joining the Steelers, of course. But rookie QB Will Howard’s name came up. And Rodgers vowed to “help him out as much as I can.” That’s nice to hear, a 41-year-old former Super Bowl champion willing and wanting to work with a sixth-round rookie.
With only one day of mandatory minicamp remaining, Will Howard has gotten some good practice time with the Steelers. He said that he was finally getting settled in after voluntary OTAs wrapped up last week. But just how well has he fared in his first practices with NFL talent?
“I would say this, he’s inconsistent,” said Jeff Hathhorn, Sports Director for 93.7 The Fan, on Wednesday’s edition of The PM Team. “There are times you’re watching, like he made a throw today to Darnell Washington over the middle in a two-minute drill for a touchdown that was picturesque for about a 20-yard score. And Darnell went up and got it. It was a perfect throw. There are other throws you’re watching, like, oh man, or decisions he might make that’s just, he didn’t look, he didn’t find the right guy, or he wasn’t where he should have been. So, you see glimpses of it, and I think you see that a lot with rookies, but that’s what we’ve seen from Will. There’s been some good in there.”
If that surprises anyone, I don’t know what to say. Yes, Will Howard won the National Championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes last year. He threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns with the Buckeyes last year. But he fell in the draft because he lacks any one major talent to hang his hat on. He isn’t a bad quarterback, but he’s not a superstar.
So, to expect him to come into Pittsburgh as a rookie in voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp and blow the doors off is unrealistic. He’s going to make bad decisions. He’s going to make bad throws. We saw him make some poor decisions in college.
But Hathhorn points out that Howard is making some darn good throws, too. And that’s all we should be looking for. Signs of encouragement, signs that Howard can develop. He’s in a good situation with Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. There is no pressure on Howard as a rookie. And two-time Super Bowl champion QB Ben Roethlisberger thinks that Howard is in a good spot to learn from both of the veteran quarterbacks ahead of him.
Just how far Will Howard goes is up to him. Can he maximize what physical gifts he has while developing the mental aspect of the game at a high level? NFL insider Tom Pelissero heard enough good things about Howard during OTAs that he thinks Howard “could be the guy who takes the reins from Aaron Rodgers.”
We should pump the brakes on the Will Howard for starter in 2026 train, though. Maybe he could, but the reality is that he’s been inconsistent so far. And that should be expected.
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