Few sixth-round quarterbacks have had as much excitement surrounding them as Will Howard. As one of the newest members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Howard plays a position that still has a lot of questions ahead of the 2025 season. The rookie now has two weeks of OTA practices under his belt and likes where his development is headed.
“I’m just starting to settle in and get more comfortable with the calls and the flow of the offense,” Howard said Thursday while speaking to the media after the Steelers’ final OTA practice. “I’m just excited to keep working and keep getting better.”
The reasons for excitement from the fan base are certainly there. After several years at Kansas State, Howard transferred to Ohio State for the last season of his collegiate career. He had some hiccups early in the year but looked poised and impressive as the Buckeyes ran the table in the College Football Playoff to win the national championship.
Given that, the Steelers are getting a player with an impressive resume late in the draft. The sixth round may be good value for Howard, but that doesn’t mean his transition to the NFL is going to be easy. Rookie minicamp came and went, but Howard admitted that he struggled on the first day of OTAs last week.
Speaking today, he clarified some of the things he did wrong during the Steelers’ first OTA practice and how he feels he improved.
“All I was saying was that on Day 1, I was maybe a little slower with my feet and with my reads. It wasn’t like I had a terrible day, you know, I just missed a couple throws that I normally would have made, a couple reads that I would want back,” Howard said. “As the week went on last week, I felt way more comfortable. And as this week’s gone on, I felt a ton more comfortable.”
The speed of the game is one of the biggest differences that players experience as they transition to the NFL. The best players in college are fast, but so is every player in the league. These OTA practices aren’t high intensity, but it’s certainly reasonable that Howard would have needed some time to adjust. If he’s feeling much more comfortable after just six days of OTAs, that’s a good sign.
With Aaron Rodgers now reportedly set to sign, Howard’s chances of playing time in 2025 are slim. At this point, the QB room consisting of Rodgers, Rudolph, Howard and Skyler Thompson seems complete. Rodgers and Rudolph will be starter and backup, while Howard will compete with Thompson for the QB3 role.
At the end of the day, you never know when somebody’s number is going to get called. If it happens to Howard, he’s at least already starting to feel comfortable in the offense.
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