Time to Say Goodbye to Steelers' Will Howard

The Pittsburgh Steelers gave second-year quarterback Will Howard the golden opportunity he's been waiting for. In the team's second preseason game against the New York Jets, Howard started and worked with the first-team offense. The hope was that he would prove he was ready to leapfrog Mason Rudolph and assume backup duty responsibilites.

That's not quite how things turned out for the Steelers' 2025 sixth-round draft pick. The crowd at Acrisure Stadium provided a hero's welcome, but the on-field performance didn't live up to the hype.

Instead, Howard may have played himself out a job in Pittsburgh.

Howard's Chances With Steelers Hit Rock-Bottom

Credit to the young quarterback, who called out his own disappointing performance after the team's 17-0 loss to the Jets.

"Things to learn from. Just the performance wasn't up to par," he said. "It's a shame because those were both good drives and I thought we were moving the ball really well. And one of the first things we talk about is protecting the football... Just gotta be better and learn from it."

Howard has never lacked intelligence or the professionalism that many covet for the starting quarterback position. If only that were the determining factor in making the Steelers' 53-man roster, but the on-field performance speaks for itself. He finished the game 10-of-15 passing, throwing two interceptions. One was a characteristic turnover from a young quarterback who failed to read the defense correctly.

The second one is up for debate regarding who is responsible, but the fact remains that he failed to lead any touchdown drives in a start he absolutely needed to deliver. As a result, his chances of making the roster have hit rock bottom.