Steelers Creating Impressive Will Howard Plan

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have a plan in place for their next young quarterback. Right now, it's Will Howard, and he's set to benefit from a group of people who should take his game to the next level, or at least give him every opportunity to do so.

The Steelers didn't hire Mike McCarthy because of Howard. Every coach who interviewed with them probably told them Howard has an impressive resume and looks like a capable young passer.

What they did hire McCarthy to do, though, is help develop their next franchise QB. Right now, Howard is their only candidate on the roster, and what they're going to do this offseason can set him up with a great opportunity to succeed if ever given the chance.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard — Pittsburgh Steelers

The Coaching Pieces

The Steelers already hired McCarthy. The long-time NFL head coach has helped develop Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott, and has worked with NFL legends like Joe Montana and Brett Favre.

His quarterback resume is impressive, and he now gets to pass the knowledge down to Howard as the young QB plays his second season. On top of that, the Steelers are retaining their quarterback coach, Tom Arth, who already has familiarity with Howard from last season.

Now, the Steelers are expected to target Scott Tolzien as their offensive coordinator. Tolzien played in Green Bay with McCarthy and Rodgers and has worked as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL for the last several years.

This past season, he worked with the New Orleans Saints and helped head coach Kellen Moore develop rookie Tyler Shough into a Rookie of the Year candidate.

He'll get to help do the same with Howard, next.

Steelers Draft Outlook

They're also going to add to their roster for their next quarterback. Rodgers is hopeful to return in 2026, giving Howard the opportunity to learn behind him for two seasons. But on top of that, the Steelers are focusing on making their roster a Super Bowl-contending group, which means more weapons who get a year to develop before a young QB takes over.

Expect an early wide receiver to be selected on top of others being added through the NFL Draft and free agency. Kenneth Gainwell may return, but if not, the Steelers will likely add another running back alongside Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson.

And, hopefully, a year with Mike McCarthy means more Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at tight end. Something that will certainly help any quarterback, but especially a young one in a year.

Will Howard is Next?

Howard has all the tools in front of him to succeed. While, a sixth-round pick doesn't give much opportunity in this league, he certainly has an upper-hand compared to most selected where he was.

Expect the Steelers to give him a chance to compete for the backup job behind Rodgers in 2026. If he can prove worthy of the role, he may be looked at as the future once he hits his third year in the league.

It's up to him to put the pieces together, but the Steelers are giving him everything he needs to grow into a starter in the National Football League. Even if the outlook on McCarthy is worrisome as a whole, when you focus on how he's setting up Howard in just a few weeks of being head coach, there's plenty of reasons to be excited about the future at quarterback.

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