It feels like, to the casual fan, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room is already written in stone. Aaron Rodgers is set to return as the starter, while 2026 third-round pick Drew Allar will make the team as a developmental option.
After that, fans have been adamant that Will Howard will be the backup. After an offseason of singing his praises, it feels like a foregone conclusion that Howard will be handed the backup job.
According to Mark Kaboly, we shouldn’t count on that.
In fact, in a recent episode of the Steelers Collective podcast, Kaboly claimed that veteran Mason Rudolph is a lock to make the team. If you’re counting at home, that means there are already three quarterbacks locked into roster spots.
This presents quite the dilemma for Howard, and once again, you have to wonder how secure his spot is on the team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may not have a spot for Will Howard
While everyone loves the young backup quarterback, Kaboly is right to be skeptical. We have to remember that Howard is a former sixth-round pick from a different regime who has yet to play a snap in the NFL.
That kind of player isn’t a lock to make the team in year two. He certainly needs to prove his worth before you can assume he is on the team.
If Kaboly is right, it really casts a grim outlook on Howard’s Steelers career. Unless someone gets injured, Howard would have to force the team to carry four quarterbacks, a highly irregular number.
Even if they did that, the fact that Rudolph beat him out as the second quarterback means Howard is likely a weekly inactive. It doesn’t cast a positive outlook on his long-term career.
Honestly, it feels like put up or shut up time for Howard. If he wants to legitimately have a shot at being the guy in Pittsburgh, he needs to win the backup job this summer. That shows positive growth and gives him something to build on for 2027.
If Rudolph wins the job, Howard could be circling the drain of his Steelers career. You certainly won’t go into 2027 feeling confident that he can start for you.
This training camp is everything for Howard. If he falters like Kaboly thinks he will, it could spell a quick end to his campaign to be the Steelers' starting quarterback.
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