The longer the Pittsburgh Steelers go without being able to sign veteran Aaron Rodgers, the longer Steelers Nation can dream about the possibility of sixth-round pick Will Howard emerging as the team’s starting quarterback.
Head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t suggest Howard is anywhere close to being in the starter discussion yet. But during his first media session at Steelers rookie minicamp, Tomlin provided an overall positive update on how Howard has been performing.
Tomlin also said the team is using rookie minicamp to get better acquainted with all of their rookies, including Howard.
“He’s doing great,” Tomlin told reporters. “We’re at the very beginning of it. I don’t know that we’re looking at it through that lens in terms of evaluating him.
“It’s more about getting to know him and just laying a good foundation that way.”
The Steelers added seven draft picks in the 2025 class. The team selected Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin on Will Howard, Rookie QBs
Before diving into Howard specifically, Tomlin spoke generally about what he likes to look for in young signal-callers, particularly in a rookie camp setting.
“Huddle command and communication, the ability to regurgitate new information, and by new information, I mean information that’s new to them, and so I don’t want to underscore how difficult it is to receive some of the verbiage from a play caller and have to regurgitate it to 10 others that are waiting for it,” said Tomlin.
“The giving and receiving of information is a central component of leadership at that position.”
The Steelers might be able to expect Howard to excel in that area. Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle argued Saturday that “the mental aspect of Howard’s game” is where he really likes “to shine.”
“His 94th-percentile SAT score speaks to how smart he is, and the fact that he went from transferring schools to winning the national championship is further proof,” McCorkle wrote. “He had to pick up on a whole new set of lingo and play calls in an entirely different offensive system than K-State and lead his offense with it.
“There were growing pains, but he got better as the season went on and was excellent in the playoffs.”
McCorkle also reference an answer Howard gave at the NFL combine about his mental strengths.
“I can talk through pretty much any play. If you want to bring up a play, I’ll tell you why I did what I did, what the read was, what the play call was, what the protection was,” Howard said, via McCorkle. I know pretty much all that stuff.
“I think that’s one of the best parts of my game; I believe I’m an elite processor; I can recall things like nothing.”
Steelers Still Waiting on Aaron Rodgers
It’s safe to state Howard is the apple of the average Pittsburgh fan’s eye at the moment. After the draft, he endeared himself to the team and fan base with instant messages of how badly he wanted to play for the Steelers.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Devin Jackson reported on April 30 Howard asked for the team’s playbook the day after the draft.
All of it led to immediate hype for the quarterback. But while it’s fair to be excited about Howard, the Steelers are still trying to sign Rodgers to a contract.
That hasn’t changed even with the George Pickens trade Thursday.
“From their end, [the Pickens trade] doesn’t have any impact at all on whether [Rodgers] signs with the team,” Dulac said while appearing on The Dan Patrick Show.
It’s not clear if Rodgers’ opinion of wanting to sign with the Steelers has changed with the trade. Then again, Rodgers hasn’t really been publicly expressing a lot of excitement about playing for Pittsburgh anyway.
“I’m open to anything and attached to nothing,” Rodgers told Pat McAfee on his ESPN show on April 17.
If the Steelers sign Rodgers, Howard won’t have as many opportunities for snaps this summer and preseason. But until the veteran signs, Howard is one of just three quarterbacks on Pittsburgh’s roster, and one of the others was drafted even later than Howard was this spring.
