Do the Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike McCarthy truly believe there is something there with QB Will Howard? Even the regime that drafted Howard only invested a sixth-round pick in him. Yet McCarthy has repeatedly praised Howard since he became the team’s new head coach.
However, not everyone believes that McCarthy and the Steelers are genuine in their belief in the second-year pro. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said he’s talked to people throughout the league who are “skeptical” about what McCarthy and company have said.
One person who believes McCarthy is genuine? Beat writer Mark Kaboly.
“There is some talk about the Steelers just being phony about what they believe in him, how much,” Kaboly said of Howard Tuesday on Kaboly + Mack. “Trust me, I really do believe Mike McCarthy likes him for the fact of his intangibles. Again, he’s a winner. He’s a big-bodied guy who is a smart guy. Everything else, [McCarthy] can teach him. He views him as a moldable block of clay. He thinks that if he has a year or two with him, he can mold him into something and teach him because he’s smart.”
Mike McCarthy definitely believes himself to be a quarterback whisperer. He spent time during his introductory press conference breaking down his offensive ideas, and that included his thoughts on quarterback development and the work he’s done in the past. Evidently, Kaboly believes in McCarthy’s abilities, or at least in McCarthy’s belief in his own abilities.
So, how does McCarthy want to help Will Howard develop? Check out our own Alex Kozora’s deep dive into how McCarthy teaches young quarterbacks. McCarthy invests a lot of time, detail, and care into developing quarterbacks. No doubt he will do the same with Will Howard over the next couple of seasons.
McCarthy repeatedly highlighted Howard’s intangibles when talking about him. After all, intangibles are the hardest thing to teach a player (if it’s even possible). McCarthy can help Howard develop better footwork and movement skills. McCarthy can’t teach Howard the mental fortitude to come back from a bad mistake in the Oregon loss to elevate his play down the stretch and lead Ohio State to the 2024 national championship.
Oh, and according to reports, Mike McCarthy was not the only believer in Will Howard. Team owner Art Rooney II said Howard was a pretty common topic during the Steelers’ head coaching interview process and that the team received “pretty good feedback” on him. So, even if some around the league are skeptical about how high the Steelers are on the 185th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, it seems like others have more faith in Howard.
Mark Kaboly certainly has faith in Mike McCarthy’s belief in Will Howard’s potential, anyway.
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