PITTSBURGH --Will Howard has found a willing mentor in quarterback Mason Rudolph. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room is shallow, but Rudolph and Howard represent the hope for the team at that spot with no sure answers there.
Howard says Rudolph has been an open book so far and is willing to answer all of his questions.
“He’s been awesome,” Howard said. “I just think the vibe in the quarterback room is really cool. Super good dude, super welcoming. Meeting Mason, I knew we’d hit it off, and he’s a great dude, man. He’s helped me a lot and look forward to continuing to work with him.”
Howard said he struggled on his first day at OTAs but has progressed well over the week. The speed of the NFL game is Howard’s biggest leap, even though he won the National Championship at Ohio State.
Howard transferred into Columbus from Kansas State, where he was a multiple-year starter and team captain. During his season, the Buckeyes were an up-and-down offense but became an elite unit once Howard’s play took a significant leap in the College Football Playoff.
In his last collegiate season, Howard threw for 4010 passing yards, a career-high. With that, he posted a 73 percent completion percentage, another career-high mark. Howard had 35 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
Despite falling past where he thought he would, Howard’s improvement over three days at OTAs is at least an encouraging sign the Steelers could find something more than a usual sixth-round quarterback in him.