Will Howard Knows How to Act Like Steelers Starting QB

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't succeed the last time they tried to land a franchise quarterback in the NFL Draft. Kenny Pickett had many limitations, including some in the locker room. One thing Will Howard is quickly showing he's ready to embrace.

"Aaron’s been a big fan of Will [Howard]. … Obviously everybody wants Aaron back, but if you do go in a direction where you have Will, you feel pretty confident."

That's one of many ringing endorsements for Howard from within the Steelers' roster. This one comes from Cam Heyward, who shared his faith in Howard during the Rich Eisen Show. And for a second-year, sixth-round quarterback, that's nearly as good of a supporter as you can have.

The biggest name may be T.J. Watt, who Howard also has on his side.

During the Penguins versus Philadelphia Flyers playoff game, the big screen showed Howard standing with a bunch of his teammates. Howard stood in the center, firing up the fanbase by yelling "Let's go Pens," with Watt, Nick Herbig, Joey Porter Jr, Pat Freiermuth, Spencer Anderson, Jack Sawyer and Pat Freiermuth next to him. All with big smiles, and Watt with his hand patting Howard's back.

Will “QB1*” Howard handles “it’s hockey night in Pittsburgh” duties ahead of puck drop in Game 2 of Pens-Flyers

TJ Watt, Nick Herbig, Spencer Anderson, Ben Skowronek also among the Steelers at PPG Paints.

*for now? Maybe? pic.twitter.com/wLeeJM2obJ
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) April 20, 2026

The One Thing Howard Already Has

What the Steelers didn't have when they cycled through Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields was leadership. They all led in their own way, but none of them connected with the locker room and really showed they were "the quarterback," the way an NFL QB1 should.

It was something you always felt with Ben Roethlisberger. And it's something you feel with Aaron Rodgers. When they walk into a room, everyone knows. When they talk to players, the connection is real, and when they are put in the spotlight, they never crumble - they always embrace it.

That's Will Howard.

From the moment he arrived, Howard was "a dude." He was a person you knew his teammates would enjoy. He was someone who had more confidence in himself than anyone else, and who felt like the future is his for the taking. There was nothing fake about him.

As the current QB1 in Pittsburgh, he's embracing that role. And who knows if he's going to pan out, or if he's ever going to get a real shot to begin with. All of the on the field stuff needs to work itself out still.

What we do know is that Howard knows how to act like a starting quarterback, and that's something every team needs. It's a great starting point for a player who's only owned the role for a matter of hours before popping up on the big screen at PPG Paints Arena.

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