OTAs have officially kicked off for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Aaron Rodgers still isn’t a member of the team. That leaves Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback. Behind him, their depth isn’t great. They signed Skylar Thompson, but he isn’t likely going to push Rudolph for his job. However, some fans may wonder if rookie Will Howard could see any starting time this season. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t think the Steelers will be quick to put Howard in, though.
“A lot of Steelers fans want Will Howard to play right away, but I think the Steelers are going to be cautious here,” Fittipaldo said Tuesday on the show Rothman and Ice on the radio station 97.1. “He’s a sixth-round pick. Even if Mason Rudolph is the guy, eventually, Will Howard might end up being the number two as a rookie, but they’re not gonna force-feed him.
“They’re not gonna throw a sixth-round pick into the mix as a rookie, unless something really strange happens with injuries.”
That makes a lot of sense. While the Steelers have been dealing with uncertainty at quarterback, Howard’s name hasn’t come up as a serious option to start for them. He might’ve had a great showing in the college football playoffs last year, but the NFL is a different beast.
Also, it isn’t often that quarterbacks drafted in the sixth round make huge impacts as rookies. Usually, the best bet for success for those players is to sit and develop. Howard has some interesting tools, but he went in the sixth round for a reason. Not every Day 3 quarterback is Tom Brady or Brock Purdy.
Could Howard become a great NFL quarterback? Yes, but expecting him to have a rookie season like Ben Roethlisberger is probably asking for too much. It’s okay to be excited about Howard and also be willing to wait to see him suit up for the Steelers.
If Pittsburgh does sign Rodgers, which seems likely, then Howard will probably find himself as the third quarterback on the depth chart. At that point, Rodgers and Rudolph would both have to be hurt for him to see the field. That’s not impossible, but it muddies Howard’s path to starting even more.
Throwing Howard to the wolves might hurt him more than it helps. Neither Rodgers nor Rudolph is the Steelers’ long-term answer under center. While the odds of Howard being their savior are also unlikely, those chances could decrease if his confidence is crushed as a rookie. Don’t expect the team to run to Howard if their offense is playing poorly.
