While the Steelers wait for Aaron Rodgers, all eyes are on Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, their other quarterbacks. Well, the other quarterbacks the average fan cares about, to the chagrin of Skylar Thompson stans. Pittsburgh added both Rudolph and Howard to the roster this year, though with very different histories.
The Steelers originally drafted Mason Rudolph in the third round in 2018, playing here through 2023. He only left in 2024 via free agency, driven largely by their sidebar quest for Russell Wilson. In the sixth round in 2025, the Steelers drafted Will Howard, who won it all with Ohio State last year.
Speaking to Missi Matthew for the Steelers’ website, Rudolph shared his early impressions of Howard, on and off the field. “He’s been great. He’s a nice guy, first of all”. The veteran added of the rookie, “He’s a good guy to share the quarterback room with. He’s a big kid. He is athletic and he throws the ball well. They just won a national championship. I think he’s got a lot of tools and I’ll be excited to go to work with him”.
Despite the 2025 draft class being regarded as one of the worst for quarterbacks in decades, many expected the Steelers to draft one early, even in the first round. They held off, even with only one quarterback off the board in the first round, for quite a while. In fact, the Steelers even drafted two defensive linemen before taking Will Howard in Round 6.
Although he has some concerns—ball security, arm talent, limited high-level tape—Howard is an interesting late-round quarterback prospect for the Steelers. They didn’t draft him intending to shape him into their next franchise quarterback, but they won’t be mad if they were to manage to pull it off, anyway.
Most anticipate that Aaron Rodgers will sign with the Steelers, which would push Will Howard to QB3 at best. They re-signed Mason Rudolph this offseason to be the backup, or even to start if Rodgers balks. Unless Howard really looks phenomenal, it’s hard to see him playing this year, barring injuries.
And the Steelers are anticipated to make a concerted effort to draft a quarterback in the first round next year, so that’s a limited window for Will Howard. But he projects a consistently forward-thinking attitude, always focusing on his next steps toward betterment. Bettering himself, bettering his odds, bettering his teammates, bettering the team.
Although he seems to have all the intangibles you might want in a quarterback, Howard will have to show the Steelers he also has the talent and the gumption to make it work on the field and in the huddle. But he’ll have to do it coming up from the rear, taking third- and fourth-team reps. But you can probably count on him taking each of those reps like a two-minute drill in the Super Bowl.
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