Holding onto four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster marks a new dawn for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They finally seem focused on investing heavily in the most important position in football. Both Will Howard and Drew Allar should be on the team come this time next year and should be battling for notable roles.
With that said, after Howard's questionable preseason performance, the Steelers must keep all options on the table this year.
After the Dallas Cowboys cut Joe Milton III recently, a new opportunity for the Steelers just surfaced as a free agent. Maybe Milton won't turn into anything, but you cannot deny the raw talent he still possesses. It is a much better skill set for Mike McCarthy to work with than what Will Howard presents. Pittsburgh should be open to the idea of bringing in another signal-caller onto the team.
The franchise needs to be open to the idea of cutting bait with Howard if it means they bring in a more enticing option at the position. Perhaps the biggest negative is the cheap contract the second-year players hold while his rookie deal runs for a while longer.
That means he is under cost control for the foreseeable future and could become a dependable guy who could challenge for jobs.
Pittsburgh Steelers should target free agent QB Joe Milton III to replace Will Howard
At the end of the day, it appears that Will Howard might be nothing more than a career backup in the NFL. That's not all bad news, as he could still compete with Drew Allar next summer for the starting job. Don't rule out the idea of another outside quarterback joining the roster next year as the favorite to win the starting job.
Maybe that player could be free agent signal-caller Joe Milton III.
Coming out of college, you could see the immense skills that Milton brings to the position. He was extremely raw in his development, but his arm strength matched with his athleticism was nearly unmatched in that year's draft class.
Throughout his NFL career, he has bounced from the Patriots to the Cowboys and hasn't found his groove. Maybe being coached by McCarthy could turn things around for him.
Another negative working against Milton is that he is a year and a half older than Will Howard. The Steelers want to get younger, and although Milton is two years older, it shouldn't flush the opportunity of him being a free agent target down the drain. The Steelers are still in the hunt for the best players possible to help rebuild the quarterback group, and Joe Milton III could be one of them.
Cutting Will Howard doesn't appear to be on the Steelers' priority list for now. The emergence of Joe Milton III as a free agent should make them consider their options. Another thing to consider is that Milton has more experience than Howard during their NFL careers. Neither has started any games going into this season, but if you had to choose which of the two to start, you'd pick Milton right now.
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