Between Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a few days to make a decision at quarterback. The former is the better option and left last Sunday’s win with an injury. And the latter is the backup for a reason, but he operated the offense quite well in relief of Rodgers. Another potential benefactor from Rodgers’ injury is Will Howard.
As is typical for sixth-round picks, Howard hasn’t had any real role this year. However, if Rodgers has to miss any stretch of games dealing with his left wrist injury, Howard becomes the backup behind Rudolph. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger thinks that could provide an excellent opportunity for Howard and the coaching staff.
“Great news is, Will Howard is now available to come in. And you get to have him as your backup. I think Steeler nation should be excited,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin podcast. “The only way Will Howard was actually gonna get reps this year, since he got hurt, was either if Aaron got hurt or wasn’t playing well… This gives Steeler Nation maybe a quick glimpse into what could be the future.”
If Howard were to get any meaningful reps this week, which seems likely, it would be some of the most important he’s had in his pro career. Through the summer and into training camp, Howard quickly became a fan favorite. Having Rodgers and Rudolph ahead of him on the depth chart, though, meant he wouldn’t play much of a role this season.
For rookies in his situation, the preseason is the best time to show a new coaching staff what you can do. But Will Howard didn’t get that chance. He suffered an injury in the week leading up to the first preseason game and had to miss all three exhibition matches. Skylar Thompson played well in his absence, but it was a huge missed opportunity for the rookie.
But the Steelers found a way to keep Howard around. And now that he could potentially become QB2, Roethlisberger is excited about the idea of him getting more chances in practice.
“At least, if nothing else, Will’s gonna get practice reps. He’s gonna get to run the scout team, he’s gonna be able to run the number two reps in practice. The team’s kinda gonna get to see what they have, at least a short glimpse. Maybe this is a good thing for them, now. Then they won’t have to worry about drafting a quarterback next year,” Roethlisberger said. “Let’s give Will another chance, if that’s the way you [Steelers] want to go in the future.”
It’s still unlikely that Howard would get any game action. Rodgers could still play this week. Even if he doesn’t, Rudolph would have to suffer an injury, or the game would have to get out of hand for Howard to see any snaps. But even getting reps with the second team is a step up. Tomlin didn’t rule out Howard getting first-team reps this week either. And Roethlisberger is correct that it would give the coaching staff a better chance to evaluate him.
Although all of this only happens if Rodgers misses any time. He may rest over the next couple of practices anyway. But if he plays on Sunday, Rudolph is QB2 and Howard QB3, his current listing. For sixth-round picks, sometimes a couple of breaks have to go their way for them to truly get a chance. In Howard’s case, Rodgers missing time due to injury would be one.
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