It remains to be seen who will be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback in 2026. While they want Aaron Rodgers to return, that’s not guaranteed. Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy have both had a lot of good things to say about Will Howard, so perhaps he’ll get a crack at the starting job if Rodgers doesn’t return. Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, one of the top prospects in this year’s draft, has nothing but good things to say about Howard.
“Will’s my guy,” Tate said Friday at the NFL Combine via our Ryan Paglia. “All me and Will do is joke around with each other. We call each other, make fun of each other. It’s a great relationship with Will. I miss him. It would be great to catch passes with Will. I’ve done it before. We’re all gonna go out there and continue to laugh and joke with each other.”
Tate and Howard were teammates at Ohio State in 2024, and they helped the school capture a national championship. Tate enjoyed a nice season with Howard as his quarterback, catching 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games.
The Steelers had a formal meeting with Tate at the Combine, showing their interest in him. While he likely won’t fall to their pick at 21, it shows that he’s on their radar.
Hopefully, the Steelers know whether or not Rodgers is going to return by the time the draft comes around. While they don’t expect to have to wait as long as they did last year for Rodgers, trying to read the veteran quarterback is useless.
If he doesn’t return to the Steelers, perhaps they’ll try to reunite Tate and Howard and hope the two can recreate the success they enjoyed at Ohio State together at the NFL level.
Even if Howard isn’t the Steelers’ starter this year, Tate would be a great first-round pick for them. Receiver has been one of their biggest weaknesses for the past few years. Tate would pair nicely with DK Metcalf, giving the team a nice one-two punch at wideout. Unfortunately, if they really want Tate, they will likely have to trade up to get him.
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