Will Howard Has Massive Opportunity During Steelers Final OTAs

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers take the field for the final week of OTAs, but they aren't expecting the biggest attendance.

Head coach Mike McCarthy has said for weeks that the final week of practice in the spring was for the young guys, which hinted at almost all of the veterans being absent as they began their final stretch of the offseason before training camp.

It's hard to imagine names like Aaron Rodgers or T.J. Watt are going to be at practice, but the same goes for other vets like Mason Rudolph and almost all of the offensive and defensive players with set roles on the roster.

Which creates a huge opportunity for a player like Will Howard.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard — Pittsburgh Steeler

Howard and Rudolph remain in competition for the Steelers' QB2 job. One of them will be the backup to Rodgers, while the other is likely to be off the roster completely before the start of the season - even if that means they're on the practice squad.

The understanding of the battle is strange. Unlike a normal head-to-head competition, the Steelers seem to be presenting it as Howard's opportunity to prove himself. If he does, it's his job to keep. If he doesn't, Rudolph will claim the backup job given he's a veteran with plenty of NFL experience.

Why This Week is a Great Opportunity for Howard

What Howard can do this week is put a lot of the competition away. He obviously has to look good on the field, but that's not too difficult to do during OTAs. But he also needs to impress off the field.

Howard is going to get a whole week as the leader of the quarterback room. No Mason Rudolph, no Aaron Rodgers. It's him and Drew Allar.

That means Howard has a whole week to show McCarthy that he's capable of handing anything and everything he throws at him, while also developing he and Allar together.

If he can do that, McCarthy might leave this week thinking of how impressed he was of the second-year quarterback. Really impressed, not watching his tape impressed.

It gives Howard the upper-hand throughout the break. It means McCarthy, Brian Angelichio and Tom Arth go through their vacation thinking about how impressed they were of Howard and how the young quarterback has a future in the NFL.

Show your coaches you have a place in this league and they'll make sure you do. That's what Howard can do this week. And if he takes advantage of it, it'll be a different quarterback battle come training camp.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!

Add us as a preferred source on Google