The Pittsburgh Steelers have not been shy about showing their support for Will Howard. During his introductory press conference, Mike McCarthy was quick to praise the young quarterback just after mentioning Aaron Rodgers. Since then, the appreciation for Howard has been consistent. It continued this week with GM Omar Khan expressing a similar sentiment at the Combine this week.
The Steelers are making it clear they value Howard. But is it just coach speak? According to Mike Florio, some around the league aren’t as quick to believe the Steelers are as high on Howard as they say they are.
“I know people around the league who have been skeptical of this claim that they really want Will Howard, and that Mike McCarthy really likes Will Howard. I mean, that would be a hell of coincidence if it just so happened that Mike McCarthy gets a job that has a quarterback that he secretly loves, who was a sixth-round pick, who he thinks is gonna develop into the next Dak Prescott. And again, there’s always gonna be the potential for an element of BS in this game. That’s what it’s all about,” Florio said Thursday on 93.7 The Fan.
Florio does make some sense. Of course McCarthy and Khan aren’t going to do anything but praise their players to the media. So it’s reasonable to think McCarthy is simply trying to back one of his few options at quarterback more than anything else.
However, there’s also reason to believe that interest is genuine. Along with McCarthy, Art Rooney II explained that the Steelers got “good feedback” on Howard from several of the other head coach candidates they interviewed. And when Khan was asked at the Combine about the risk of Rodgers retiring this offseason, he mentioned that it wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario since Howard is on the roster.
There are reasons for the Steelers to be excited about Howard. He has a lot of potential, won big games in college, and now has a year learning from Aaron Rodgers under his belt. In an offseason with so few options at quarterback, it may be a better time than ever to roll with Howard. Despite him being a sixth-round pick with no NFL experience.
Of course, those two factors make him a massive risk as well. But the Steelers are publicly very confident in him. Some around the league doubt whether that’s authentic, and we’ll have to wait and see if they’re correct. The way the Steelers approach the position this offseason will tell a great deal about how much they really value Will Howard.
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