Steelers want to see this from Will Howard with roster spot in jeopardy

While Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy revealed on Wednesday that 2025 rookie Will Howard will serve as the club's starting quarterback for this coming Friday's preseason home game versus the New York Jets, McCarthy also said that he "saw what I needed to see from" veteran Mason Rudolph in Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 13. 

Aaron Rodgers will begin the regular season as Pittsburgh's starter, and 2026 third-round draft pick Drew Allar is also guaranteed a spot on the opening-day roster as long as he is healthy. Thus, the perception exists that Howard still needs to prove his worth to McCarthy and Co. against the Jets and in the Steelers' preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 27. 

For a piece published on Thursday, Steelers reporter Mike DeFabo of The Athletic touched upon questions that Howard will need to answer over the next week. 

Steelers don't want Will Howard "pressing" with roster spot on the line

"One of the toughest things for Howard to navigate during this process will be to rise to the occasion without pressing," DeFabo wrote. "Before he’s asked to step in and light up the scoreboard, he first needs to show the coaching staff he can reliably manage a game if QB1 goes down."

Against the Packers, Howard completed seven of nine passes for 86 yards. To compare, Rudolph started that game and went 10-of-11 passing for 93 yards. 

On Wednesday, McCarthy praised Rudolph's "great command" of the offense. Thus, it's fair for one to assume that McCarthy would start Rudolph for a meaningful game today if Rodgers wasn't available for any reason.

This is working against Will Howard regarding his Steelers tenure

Neither Rodgers nor Rudolph is expected to play against the Jets, and DeFabo mentioned that Rudolph has built a "significant lead" in the battle for the primary backup job. As for the matchup against the Jets, DeFabo said that McCarthy wants Howard "to get off to a better start than he did in the first preseason game." 

If Howard fails to do just that, he could find himself in danger of being off Pittsburgh's active roster.