Earlier this year, the Pittsburgh Steelers did not spend a high draft pick on a quarterback. Instead, they waited to sign Aaron Rodgers. However, they did select Will Howard in the sixth round, giving them a young player in their quarterback room. While Howard had a successful college career, he likely won’t see much playing time this season. Ben Roethlisberger recently broke down why that could become a trend for Howard’s career with the Steelers.
“Will Howard is behind the eight ball big time in the sense that he was a sixth rounder,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin’ podcast. “Unless he comes out at some point this year, he’d have to play this year. Not just practice. Aaron would have to get hurt; we don’t want that, but Will would have to play and play well. Otherwise, they’re probably gonna go draft a quarterback high.
“When they draft a quarterback high, they’re most likely not going to put the six rounder in above a high draft pick. Otherwise, it’s like, ‘We made a mistake.’ It’s gonna have to be like, ‘Holy cow, this dude can play.’ Will’s road is going to be tough here in Pittsburgh, I believe. Unless he gets a chance to get out there and he plays well right from the get-go. He’s not gonna be able to have hiccups.”
Roethlisberger makes a great point. The Steelers look primed to select a quarterback in the first round of the draft next year. Rodgers is almost certainly going into his final NFL season, so that will leave Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback job open next season. If they take a quarterback in the first round, he will likely have the inside track to start.
Even if Howard wins the starting job next year, he’d have to play amazing to hold off a first-round quarterback for the entire season. First-round picks are more valuable than sixth-round picks. That’s just the reality of the NFL.
However, Howard’s chances aren’t zero. The San Francisco 49ers are a great example of how he can succeed. In 2021, they traded multiple draft picks to move up and select Trey Lance with the third overall pick. However, injuries kept him off the field, opening the door for 2022 seventh-round pick Brock Purdy to seize the starting job.
That’s a rare situation, but it’s an example of how things likely have to break for Howard to become Pittsburgh’s long-term starting quarterback. It isn’t often that sixth-round quarterbacks become franchise players. There’s only one Tom Brady.
And Howard has yet to even take an NFL snap. He can use this season to work on his flaws and grow his knowledge. He doesn’t need to become a franchise quarterback to have a successful career. Even if he’s just a quality backup, he should be able to stick around the league.
Howard has the right mindset to succeed, aware of the tough road that he’s on, and he’s prepared to work hard. Luckily, he has an opportunity to learn from Rodgers, one of the best of all time. That could help him succeed in the NFL.
