Pittsburgh Steelers second-year quarterback Will Howard enters the stretch run toward training camp with encouraging momentum in the competition for the primary backup role behind Aaron Rodgers.
With the future Hall of Famer locked in as the starter for what is expected to be his final season, the organization faces a meaningful decision among three candidates vying for the spots behind him: Howard, veteran Mason Rudolph, and rookie quarterback Drew Allar.
Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo recently offered a clear assessment of the early picture, noting that Howard currently sits in the strongest position among the group.
“If I had to place odds on it, I think Will Howard is in pole position, so to speak,” Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan. “I think he had a good spring, but I don’t think he’s earned the job just yet. The preseason game’s gonna be huge for him.”
This is somewhat surprising given Rudolph’s history with Pittsburgh and given the fact that the Steelers really seem to like Allar, who was initially viewed as a potential first-round pick heading into the 2025 college football season before a disastrous, injury-shortened campaign caused his value to tank.
Fittipaldo observed that Howard performed well during the spring, but has not yet secured the job outright. The upcoming preseason contests, he emphasized, will carry significant weight in determining the final hierarchy.
Howard arrived in Pittsburgh as a sixth-round selection, the 185th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent his entire rookie campaign on the sidelines while dealing with lingering injury concerns, never realistically challenging for snaps ahead of Rodgers or Rudolph.
That downtime did little to diminish the promise many saw in his college résumé. In his final season with the Buckeyes, Howard guided Ohio State to a national championship, completing 73.1 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while adding 226 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground.
Those numbers, combined with his size and dual-threat ability, have led some observers to view him as a potential long-term option at the position for the Steelers. Earning the backup job this year would represent the first concrete step toward that future.
Outside evaluations have largely aligned around the idea that Pittsburgh is most likely to retain both Howard and Allar on the active roster, leaving Rudolph as the probable candidate for a cut or trade. Even franchise legend Ben Roethlisberger has publicly advocated for moving on from the veteran rather than either of the younger signal-callers.
The competition remains unsettled, and training camp plus the preseason slate will provide the decisive evidence. For the moment, however, the latest feedback from the beat represents a positive development for Howard as he prepares for the most important stretch of his young professional career.
How the Steelers ultimately sort their quarterback depth chart will shape not only the 2026 season but also the longer-term outlook at the most important position on the roster.
