While Will Howard will have to move aside when Aaron Rodgers shows up, he’s not one to sit idly by. The Steelers’ rookie quarterback is being proactive with his development, with a little help from his friends. As he told reporters on the final day of OTAs, he and some other rookies have been working together after practice.
In particular has been TE JJ Galbreath, whom they signed as a rookie college free agent. “That’s the guy, man”, Howard said, via the Steelers’ website. “We’ve been doing a lot of work, us rookies together, walking through stuff after every practice, every rep that we don’t get. Making sure that we bang those out. And like I said, mental reps. JJ’s been getting open for me. Max [Hurleman] has been doing some really good things, and Montana [Lemonious-Craig] made a hell of a catch today”.
We should not assume that anybody Will Howard didn’t mention by name has not been involved, of course. Just because, for example, he didn’t mention Kaleb Johnson doesn’t mean he hasn’t put in extra work. And he has, at least as he sees fit, working with Jaylen Warren on pass protection. I’m sure Howard would appreciate that.
One of the most important yet difficult-to-quantify elements of sports is, quite simply, the individual. Just because you draft somebody doesn’t mean you know who they will become, because you don’t know what their motivation is. Will Howard is just the sort of person who will put in that extra work. Some learn over time, as Darnell Washington and Broderick Jones are this offseason.
With Donald Parham Jr.’s injury, Galbreath does have a chance to compete for a roster spot. RB Max Hurleman will find it tough with Warren, Johnson, and Kenneth Gainwell, but there’s always the practice squad. As for WR Montana Lemonious-Craig, there’s always a spot for a tall target somewhere. And all of them benefit from the extra reps they’re getting with Will Howard.
Because there are only so many reps to go around, and the Steelers only opted for two weeks of OTAs this year. That only puts greater onus on the reps rookies and fringe players like Howard and Galbreath might see. So, wisely, they have taken it upon themselves to make up for the reps they wouldn’t otherwise see.
With the Aaron Rodgers ordeal finally past us, the pecking order is clear. It’s Rodgers with Mason Rudolph as his backup. Will Howard still has to prove himself to solidify his No. 3 spot versus Skylar Thompson, but barring something unlikely, he should be on the 53-man roster as well.
And, as the third quarterback, he would be wise to continue this tendency to steal reps on his own. One wonders if Mason Rudolph himself didn’t advise him to do just that, having once been in the same position. He found time for extra reps outside of official practices when he was the No. 3 QB. Now that that’s Howard, he at least has someone in his ear who was in the same boat.
