Entering the second week of Organized Team Activities, the Pittsburgh Steelers still find themselves waiting for a decision from 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, much to the dismay of many — even some within the organization, it seems.
But as they continue to wait, the reps available during the team sessions for guys like Mason Rudolph and rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard are quite valuable, even if it is just football in shorts.
Those reps are so valuable, in fact, that former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum said he believes we should all be talking about Howard at the quarterback position, particularly when it comes to waiting for Rodgers.
“I think a new name we should really start talking about is Will Howard. Is there something about the Steelers that they think about Will Howard, who, but for a pretty bad workout at the Combine may have been a top three-round pick?” Tannenbaum said Monday on Unsportsmanlike, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “But the Steelers have made a lot more [good] decisions than bad one, guys. And if you look at Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and the years of continuity they’ve had in those respective offenses, as great as Aaron Rodgers once was, he’s gonna be 42 in December.
“Like, are we better off with a young Will Howard that has everything in front of him that’ll be [chomping] at the bit? So, to me, the Aaron Rodgers thing, like what are we really getting now at the end of the day?”
Howard has been generating some buzz this offseason as a guy who could be the sleeper for the Steelers at the quarterback position. Though he — by his own admission — had a rough start in OTAs, he was able to settle down last week and put in consistent reps.
He also has a strong resume coming out of college with 44 career starts during stints at Kansas State and Ohio State and leading the Buckeyes to the national championship last season, drawing comparisons to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts along the way. But there was a rough showing at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that seemingly hurt his draft stock a bit, dropping him to the sixth round, where the Steelers happily snatched him up.
Now, he’s in an offense that fits his strengths under Steelers second-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and could be in an ideal situation for a rookie quarterback as the likely No. 3 behind Rodgers and Rudolph this season.
Tannenbaum thinks we should be talking more about him though. Just last week, he made the case during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up that the Steelers should just start Howard this season if Rodgers is just a one-year Band-Aid so that they can see what they have in the rookie.
That doesn’t appear to be the case moving forward this season, but there’s an outside chance that Howard could see some playing time. Longtime Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly believes Howard is a year away from being ready for NFL action, so that could make it difficult for Howard and the Steelers this season if he does have to play.
While Tannenbaum wants to talk more about Howard, he quickly — after a follow-up question from Unsportsmanlike host Evan Cohen — stated he would rather see the Steelers go with Kirk Cousins over Rodgers in 2025, but he does believe the Steelers will, and should, give Howard a long look this offseason.
