Omar Khan had a lot of good things to say about Will Howard at the 2026 NFL Combine. While the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback position is a question mark, it sounds like the team has a lot of faith in Howard. If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return, the former sixth-round pick could be an option to start next year. However, former NFL general manager Ran Carthon picked Rodgers over Howard when asked who he thinks would be the better option for the Steelers to start in 2026.
“42-year-old quarterback because I think that’s more of a proven commodity,” Carthon said Tuesday on CBS Sports HQ. “He knows the offense. It’s another language that he speaks. So, it’ll be an easier transition there versus you bringing a young quarterback that has not played in the National Football League, and he’s learning a new offense.
“Playing in this West Coast-style offense, they tell you it typically takes you three years to be comfortable in the offense to fully run it without any qualms. You’re asking a, essentially, rookie quarterback to step into a new offense and run it with a team that’s built to win right now. I don’t think that would be the best thing for the Steelers.”
There’s been a lot of excitement surrounding Howard. However, it’s important to temper expectations. He was a sixth-round pick, and he didn’t play at all last year, even in the preseason. Howard was successful in college, winning a National Championship at Ohio State, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be a good NFL quarterback.
Howard has traits that are easy to like, but the Steelers shouldn’t hand him the starting job if Rodgers retires. Khan, Art Rooney II, and Mike McCarthy have all made it clear that the Steelers’ goal is to compete for a championship. It’s hard to see them doing that with Howard starting, though.
It’s not often that sixth-round quarterbacks develop into franchise players. Tom Brady is an outlier. Even if Rodgers doesn’t return, the Steelers should add a veteran quarterback to compete for the starting job.
Could Howard beat the odds and develop into a solid player? That’s possible, but don’t expect that in his second season, especially when he didn’t play as a rookie. Maybe if the Steelers were rebuilding, starting Howard would be wise. However, they’ve made it clear that they aren’t doing that. A team with Super Bowl aspirations shouldn’t hand the starting job to an inexperienced former sixth-round pick.
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