Overreactions from Steelers Nation: Starting Will Howard

Welcome to my weekly edition of “Overreactions from Steelers Nation” a weekly column where I poke fun at fans, reporters, and so-called experts while trying to figure out if some of these hot takes are real – or just for attention.

Make no mistake about it: quarterback is the most important position in the NFL. It’s also the one with the highest failure rate, as teams attempt to find the one player who can lead a franchise for years to come.

With the recent missteps of the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans have become frustrated. That frustration has led to kneejerk reactions. Recently, one of those reactions is to play rookie QB Will Howard. Unfortunately, some of the media and fan sites out there have duped fans into believing that Howard can be the answer for a struggling Steelers offense.

However, I believe that would be a mistake. Here are several reasons why fans should temper their expectations for Howard and exhibit patience with the rookie.

Late Round Success Rates

If you thought that quarterbacks selected in the first round had a high failure rate as starters, the numbers get progressively worse as you move on to each round.

It’s difficult to find second round passers who have been successful, and the number decreases into the third round and beyond: where Steelers fans are more likely to find someone on par with Mason Rudolph, Landry Jones, or Joshua Dobbs.

Yes, I’m well aware of Tom Brady, who was a sixth round draft pick in 2000 who went on to become the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. However, Brady is the extreme outlier here, a rare of example of opportunity parlaying into a great career when he replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe.

In most situations, a sixth round pick isn’t going to see the field unless those ahead of them on the depth chart are sidelined. And when that happens, disaster is the norm, not a Brady-like ascension to stardom: which is the equivalent of winning the Powerball.

The later rounds could yield a steady hand who are good in a pinch: journey men such as Tyrod Taylor, Bruce Gradkowski or Gardener Minshew. More than likely, a late pick will result in a laundry list of forgotten and unknown names. Since 2000, 48 quarterbacks have been selected in the sixth round, such as Josh Booty, Drew Henson, Jordan Palmer, Curtis Painter, Garrett Gilbert, Nate Sudfield, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, and so on.

This isn’t a knock on Howard – and I wish him well, honestly. It’s an indictment on the overwhelming odds of those who came before him.

Lack of Development

Let’s say, on an off chance, the Steelers struck gold with selecting Howard. 31 other teams were wrong through 184 picks, and Howard has the goods. After all, he won the National Championship with Ohio State last season.

The issue now becomes his transition to the pro game. The 31 other NFL teams, who let’s face it, are all hungry for a franchise quarterback, viewed Howard’s tape and felt he wasn’t worthy of their pick. Not their first, second, or even fifth round selection.

Worse, those teams drafted seven different quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft before Howard was taken by the Steelers.

The picture this paints is that Howard needs to be developed. And when does that happen? During training camp and the preseason. Unfortunately, Howard was injured in the second week of camp and would miss practicing or playing all summer – including all three preseason games.

He was activated to the active roster on November 12^th after the Steelers opened his 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve. That means the few opportunities Howard had to take reps in practice – typically limited to running the opponents’ playbook as the scout team QB – were also nil.

Needless to say, Howard has had little time to get on the same page with his teammates and the majority of development thus far is diving into playbooks and film, rather than working things out physically on the field.

Supporting Cast

The fan’s excitement of wanting Howard to play comes with the substandard play of the offense and the current quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.

Rodgers is an aging, older veteran who’s won MVP awards and a Super Bowl, but can’t get the offense going while Rudolph is in the journeyman category of quarterbacks as the backup.

Another indictment on the Steelers offense is their lack of weapons, particularly a second wide receiver. Pittsburgh’s running game has also struggled to support the quarterbacks.

So, if neither of those two experienced quarterbacks can get this offense going, a late round draft pick who hasn’t practiced or taken even a snap in an exhibition game is unlikely to fare much better.

In reality, playing Howard is likely setting him up for failure – and if you’re Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, would you play him against the Baltimore Ravens (twice), Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns, when you’re in a tie for the AFC North lead?

Not the Same Situation

One of the more consistent comments I see from casual fans is “let him play” with a reference to when Ben Roethlisberger came into the league in 2004 and then won every game he started that season, leading the Steelers to a 15-1 record.

Roethlisberger was a first round draft pick taken in what would become a historic draft class that included Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. However, that draft also had another first round selection, J.P. Losman, who could be labeled a “bust” among the majority of 17 signal callers who were taken in that draft.

A first round selection, like Big Ben, is expected to become a franchise quarterback. Despite that, head coach Bill Cowher decided to redshirt Roethlisberger as the QB3, until injuries forced the latter onto the field.

Even then, Roethlisberger had mixed success as a rookie. He only threw for more than 250 yards once in 14 games and was only tasked with attempting more than 25 passes a single time, as the team leaned on future Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis and the run game.

Big Ben was also aided by star receivers, such as Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward, while playing behind a substantially better offensive line (also featuring a future Hall of Famer, Alan Faneca.)

That situation is vastly different from the current iteration of the Steelers, who are still repairing an offensive line that struggles in both the run and pass games. Placing Howard into this situation would be literally “throwing him into the fire” instead of giving him a strong support system, like Roethlisberger had.

Howard’s Future

Unfortunately for Howard, I believe he’s unlikely to play in 2025 unless there’s an injury or the Steelers are eliminated from postseason contention early.

Still, a sneak peek with Howard, for only a game or two, doesn’t give the front office a true evaluation of his play. Young quarterbacks struggle in year one, and often need two-to-three years of starting experience to effectively evaluate.

Howard’s injury this summer likely hurt his chances going forward too. Regardless if he plays, or plays well, does this prevent a Steelers organization with a dozen picks in next year’s draft from taking a quarterback? Probably not, especially if speculation of moving on from Mike Tomlin becomes a reality: a new head coach will want their own quarterback to run their system.

Howard comes from the previous regime and system, which may further harm his opportunities. In the unlikely scenario the Steelers pass on a passer in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is also being hosted in Pittsburgh, fans may also riot, which will lead to yet another overreaction article this spring where I’ll discuss how giving Howard a full camp and preseason will be the best for his development – but that’s then not now.