Will Howard Exceeding Steelers Expectations

Will Howard is checking all the necessary boxes thus far as he enters his second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As the Steelers continue working through their second week of OTAs, quarterbacks coach Tom Arth told reporters that Howard has outperformed expectations up to this point, though the real evaluation period lies later in the summer with training camp and the preseason.

"I think, for him, what's been really good is the level of detail and preparation and the training has allowed a player of his caliber, from a mental standpoint, his ability to process information and utilize that information is really beneficial for him," Arth said. "He's performed well here in OTAs up to this point. But once we get to training camp and get into the preseason, I think that's where the true evaluation will start to take place. He's doing everything and more that we could ask of him. He's exceeding expectations. We couldn't be happier with where he's at."

Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Checking in on Howard's Spot in Backup Race

As has been well-documented for a month at this point, the last spot in Pittsburgh's quarterback room is going to come down to Mason Rudolph or Howard.

With Aaron Rodgers and third-round rookie Drew Allar being obvious locks to make the 53-man roster, Howard and Rudolph are in for a battle over the next few months, with the winner likely to be crowned the backup.

Howard, for all intents and purposes, would appear to have the upper hand on Rudolph, and that's not just based on Arth's comments about how he's excelled recently.

The 24-year-old saw his rookie year effectively become a wash due to a hand injury that kept him out for the preseason and landed him on the reserve/injured list through Week 11 in 2025.

The former sixth-round pick is facing a good amount of pressure due to the fact that he's no longer the only young quarterback on the roster. Furthermore, it's at least feasible that the Steelers would want to keep Rudolph around instead of him so that they have a dependable veteran backup who has proven he can play at the NFL level in case Rodgers goes down for any amount of time.

Pittsburgh owes it to itself to figure out what it has in Howard, though, and the early returns have been encouraging. The entire staff, including first-year head coach Mike McCarthy, has been nothing but complementary of Howard, and the overwhelming expectation remains that he'll end up beating out Rudolph.

As long as he keeps taking steps forward and flashes some sort of potential, Howard should find himself as the No. 2 signal caller entering Week 1.

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