When you go as long as the Pittsburgh Steelers have without a long-term answer at quarterback, people start to get restless. That’s why, despite being a sixth-round pick with no NFL experience, many would like to see the Steelers turn it over to Will Howard at quarterback in 2026.
There is a lot to like about Howard, and the upside is there. But as is the case with any player in his situation, there’s a lot of risk involved. To Nick Wright, it doesn’t make sense to consider Howard a viable option for the Steelers’ future.
“I do not understand why we act like Will Howard is viable. People were like, ‘Well, I know they really like Will Howard, and he was a good college [player].’ The kid was a sixth-round pick. And he’s not Tom Brady,” Wright said Wednesday on FS1’s First Things First. “Nothing about the Steelers’ quarterback plan should be predicated on anything to do with Will Howard. It’s just, I just don’t get it… We heard his name after we heard 187 names taken in the draft.”
Should Steelers fans want Aaron Rodgers back? @Chris_Broussard answers:
“No! What are they doing?…They would have no chance of getting to the Super Bowl next year and then going forward it would make things worse.” pic.twitter.com/aW4mNagfmH
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 25, 2026
While the Will Howard hype train is reaching dangerous levels, the support for the young quarterback is understandable. He won a lot of people over with his finish to his final season at Ohio State, playing some of his best games in the College Football Playoff. In Pittsburgh, he’s making as good a first impression as any rookie could hope to, especially for a sixth-round pick.
But that’s what Howard is. A sixth-round pick and the fifth player the Steelers drafted in 2025. The upside is there, and he’s easy to like, but there are going to be rookie mistakes and growing pains that come with him as well.
We’re now reaching a point where things are getting a bit unfair for Will Howard. To give Wright some credit, his point does make some sense. It may be a little harsh, but Howard is a massive question mark. But he’s now starting to get criticism that isn’t really fair either. Sixth-round picks are never expected to be franchise quarterbacks, but that’s an expectation some are starting to place on Howard. If he does get to play, there’s going to be significantly more pressure on him now than there ever should have been out of the gate.
It is perfectly reasonable to want Will Howard as the starter in 2026. It’s hard to blame Steelers fans for wanting to turn to a young quarterback who might finally end the revolving door at that position. But with each analyst who calls for him to start, and every time Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy talk him up in an interview, it’s only adding more outside pressure onto Howard’s plate.
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