If you were on the fence about Will Howard earning a roster spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers, you can already put those worries to bed. As a sixth-round pick, the Ohio State championship QB wasn't guaranteed to make the initial 53-man roster. But after the latest news, he's essentially a roster lock.
On Tuesday, the Steelers dropped their initial 2025 preseason depth chart. As expected, Aaron Rodgers was listed as the starting quarterback, with veteran Mason Rudolph as the second string. But instead of listing the 28-year-old Skylar Thompson as the third-string QB to begin the preseason, the Steelers are already giving this spot to Howard... and that's a great sign.
To give this some perspective, the Steelers don't do this with everyone. Kaleb Johnson, for instance, is listed behind Kenneth Gainwell on the depth chart to begin his first NFL preseason, while second-year wide receiver and 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson is initially listed as a third-team receiver, with four players at his position ahead of him on the depth chart.
But despite being a late Day 3 draft choice, Howard has already been handed the keys to the roster with his initial depth chart assignment.
Will Howard is practically guaranteed to make the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster after topping Skylar Thompson on the initial depth chart
We can all agree that Will Howard should be given the job as the Steelers' No. 3 quarterback. Howard is younger than Thompson with more tools and upside. But what's interesting is that this typically doesn't matter to Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff when they make their team's first preseason depth chart.
Instead of making it a predictive depth chart, Tomlin typically tries to appease veteran players (like Roberts Woods, Kenneth Gainwell, and Scotty Miller) by placing them higher on the depth chart than they are expected to be during the season. Meanwhile, he makes the young guys earn their spot.
However, that wasn't the case for Howard. The rookie's spot on the depth chart suggests that he has already surpassed Thompson in the QB race before his first-ever preseason game.
Will Howard still needs to prove himself on the field, and his late-round draft status suggests that he's a long shot to ever become the Steelers' starting quarterback in the future. Still, it's a great sign that the rookie is already listed as the No. 3 option, and his spot on the 53-man roster already feels secure.