Steelers' Will Howard Doesn't 'Probably' Have Anything

Will Howard would appear to have a significant advantage over Mason Rudolph for the Pittsburgh Steelers' backup job, even if nothing is guaranteed.

In an appearance on "NFL Live", ESPN's Jeremy Fowler dove into the Steelers' ongoing position battle behind Aaron Rodgers and stated that he believes Howard has the "inside track" for that role.

"The more fascinating subplot here is what they do with the other quarterbacks," Fowler said. "Who's gonna be the 2? That's what they're working on right now. Will Howard probably has the inside track at that right now. They've been impressed with him."

At the end of the day, even if Fowler is echoing the same sentiment that's been echoing around Pittsburgh regarding the likelihood of Howard ultimately winning the backup job, it feels like he might be downplaying the 24-year-old's chances.

Dec 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Howard Is In a Good Spot

Not only is Howard "probably" in pose position, he's definitely the overwhelming favorite over Rudolph at this point.

Drew Allar can be thrown into that conversation too, but it's understood that he has a long way to go before he can see the field and thus will spend his rookie campaign as Pittsburgh's No. 3 signal caller while he continues to develop.

Again, nothing is assured or 100 percent set in stone, but as long as Howard holds his own and progresses at a solid rate, the Steelers are going to have a tough time ever choosing Rudolph over him to fill the backup role.

Howard has taken second-team reps in OTAs and earned high praise from quarterbacks coach Tom Arth this week, who stated the 2025 sixth-round pick is "exceeding expectations."

The real indicator of where he stands and how much he'd be able to contribute should he have to play this season in a world where Rodgers goes down for any period of time with an injury, however, will come in training camp and the preseason.

Howard never got the opportunity to prove himself against opposing defenses as a rookie due to a hand injury he suffered in training camp, which held him out of the preseason and subsequently resulted in a trip to the reserve/injured list, but he'll be given plenty of runway to do so this time around.

For all intents and purposes, Howard has passed every test with flying colors under the Steelers' new coaching staff thus far. An argument could be made that Pittsburgh should keep Rudolph around because of his experience and veteran nature. The organization, though, has to figure out what it has in Howard, and he has a higher ceiling than his counterpart.

It isn't over until it's over, but Howard undeniably has a huge edge over Rudolph for the No. 2 job in 2026.

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