Where things stand now, Will Howard is one play away from making his NFL debut. The former Ohio State and Kansas State quarterback is entering year two with the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Aaron Rodgers continuing to play coy on if he wants to come back for another season or not, the Steelers' quarterbacking depth chart goes Mason Rudolph, Howard, then rookie Drew Allar out of Penn State.
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy explained to Adam Schein why the Steelers did draft Allar.
"It's all about adding the right people to the room. We know what Aaron Rodgers means to this team, if he comes back. Will Howard is someone I'm extremely excited about. I think our time together, this short time here, there's a lot to work with. I think he's gonna definitely be a starter in this league. Mason is doing a helluva job. I've always respected him from afar."
The big takeaway from this is Howard looks to be something special, whereas Allar adds competition.
"It's a really good room for Drew to come into. He needs to come in, he's a rookie, he needs to learn it. But there's a method to how we train the quarterback position. And I'm just trying to have best, competitive quarterback room that we possibly can have, and I think we definitely accomplished that drafting Drew."
Here is everything McCarthy had to say to Schein about his team's quarterback room on SiriusXM.
"I think he's going to be definitely a starter in this league." #Steelers HC Mike McCarthy raves about quarterback Will Howard to @AdamSchein and talks about why it made sense for Pittsburgh to draft Drew Allar ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/sqFzgb7JzB
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) April 30, 2026
Howard has yet to play a meaningful snap since being a sixth-round pick out of Ohio State last spring.
Mike McCarthy is giving off the impression that he really likes Will Howard
With Ohio State being a pro football factory, players come into the NFL ready to make some noise pretty much right away. For Howard, it was a little bit different with him being a sixth-round pick, suffering an injury during fall camp, and then having Rodgers walk into the locker room. Regardless, he showed a proclivity for the big moments in college while at Ohio State, and even at Kansas State.
Let's be real. Rudolph is the starter for the time being because he is a high-end backup, and nothing more. That is what he has amounted to in his NFL career out of Oklahoma State. With Allar, it was all sizzle and no steak throughout his promising, but unfulfilling college career at Penn State. Allar may be more physically gifted than Howard, but he is not the player who won the College Football Playoff.
Overall, there is a certain steadiness that Howard seems to give off that the rest of the Steelers' quarterback room does not. Rudolph is the epitome of a high-floor, low-ceiling guy. Allar is every bit the boom-or-bust draft selection. As for Rodgers, he is not as good as he once was, but he can be once good as he ever was. Surely, he will put all of the football world through the wringer once again...
Right now, Howard stands a fantastic chance at being an NFL starter this season, if he stays healthy.
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