Former Ohio State QB gets one step closer to a starting opportunity in the NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in free fall. After a 4-1 start, Pittsburgh has lost three of its last four and needed six turnovers to take down the Colts in Week 9. Week 10 brought a new low for the season as Aaron Rodgers submitted one of the worst performances of his career in a 25-10 loss to the Chargers on Sunday Night Football. 

Now, as they prepare for a Week 11 rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers have elevated former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard to the active roster. Howard, a sixth-round pick of the Steelers, has spent most of the season on injured reserve after breaking his hand in training camp. 

Howard returned to practice on October 22, and now, at the end of a 21-day window to be activated, he either had to be put on the 53-man roster or remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The Steelers never throw in the towel on a season, but this move could be an indication that, after Rodgers’ recent struggles, Mike Tomlin intends to give Howard a chance at some point this year. 

Will Howard elevated to Steelers 53-man roster

Howard will remain as the third-string quarterback for the Steelers, buried on the depth chart behind Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, who returned to Pittsburgh in free agency this offseason after a year in Tennessee. In 2023, Rudolph took over for Kenny Pickett and led the Steelers to the playoffs, starting a Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills. 

Rodgers has become completely averse to getting hit and is limiting the offense with his quick throws and inaccuracy under pressure. If the 41-year-old four-time NFL MVP sees the bench at any point this season, Tomlin would likely give the nod to Rudolph; however, that’s not a certainty. 

At 30 years old and on his second stint with the franchise, it’s clear that Rudolph is not a future franchise quarterback. The former third-round pick was originally viewed as the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger by the franchise, but now he’s nothing more than a stopgap solution. 

With a difficult stretch upcoming on its schedule, Pittsburgh, which is still currently leading the AFC North by a game over the Ravens, could quickly find itself outside of the playoff picture. At that point, there wouldn’t be much point to playing Rudolph, and that could clear the way for Howard to see his first NFL action. 

The 2025 national champion has yet to take an NFL snap, as his training camp injury kept him out of Pittsburgh’s three preseason games and allowed journeyman backup Skylar Thompson to push for a roster spot. 

It’s unlikely that Howard has a future as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s a limited thrower who controlled the game at the college level with his mobility and physicality, which he won’t be able to do against NFL athletes. Still, he’s one step closer to seeing the field and cementing his place as a long-term backup.