The Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled their quarterback room this offseason, adding rookie Will Howard, veteran Aaron Rodgers and bringing back former Steelers QB Mason Rudolph.
While Rodgers received most of the attention, Ben Roethlisberger is a big fan of another addition Pittsburgh made.
Ahead of this year’s NFL Draft, Roethlisberger said that he was a huge fan of former Ohio State star Will Howard. That worked out well as the Steelers went on to draft Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“I really like the kid Will Howard from Ohio State. I just think he’s a winner," Ben Roethlisberger said ahead of the draft.
Will Howard led Ohio State to a national championship this past season, but the impressive run didn’t come without some struggles.
Howard made a mistake at the end of the Oregon game in the regular season, letting the clock expire without getting off a play. But he rebounded and played a big part in the Buckeyes crushing Oregon in the College Football Playoff and eventually winning the national championship.
The ability to overcome adversity stood out to Roethlisberger.
“I just love the fact that, to me, that’s a winner,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s a guy that made a mistake. I’m sure he’s thinking to himself, like, ‘I let the guys down, I let my team down, I let the fans down, the coaches, myself, my family. I’m not letting that happen again.’ And he ends up running the table and winning a national championship.”
Howard spent only one season at Ohio State after transferring over from Kansas State.
The Pennsylvania native threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns last season. He also rushed for seven scores.
There’s no doubt that Aaron Rodgers will be the starting quarterback for the Steelers in 2025, but even before the Steelers drafted him, Roethlisberger was praising Howard. Perhaps he will get a chance to show what he can do in Pittsburgh down the line.