Even though he didn’t play at all as a Pittsburgh Steelers rookie, Will Howard learned from last season.
Ex-NFL scout John Middlekauff is almost sure that the Ohio State product will get a chance to put his quarterbacking lessons to good use during his second professional go-round, even if Aaron Rodgers returns for another campaign in black and gold.
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“If you listen to Aaron Rodgers over the course of the last year, he’s a big Will Howard guy. He has been singing his praises,” Middlekauff said on the “3 & Out” podcast. “He clearly likes him a lot. … When you’re a third-day pick — so starting in the fourth round, but specifically fifth, sixth, seventh round — when you’re a quarterback, the only way to become the starter is through injuries.
“It’s an uphill battle. But Mike McCarthy mentioned that if he would’ve been in the draft room a year ago, that Will Howard wouldn’t have been on the board then.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard in a game against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 1, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Middlekauff previously worked as a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles. McCarthy, the Steelers’ first-year head coach, has mentioned being excited to work with Howard on a handful of different occasions this offseason.
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“Will Howard’s gonna be the backup and Aaron Rodgers is gonna be the starter,” Middlekauff said. “And based on a guy being over 40, there is no guarantee (he stays healthy). We just saw last year. He broke his hand. … Will Howard is probably gonna get some starts in 2026.
“I’d be stunned if he doesn’t play.”
Howard recently addressed the stigma that comes with being a sixth-round pick in an exclusive interview with Steelers Now.
“At the end of the day, I’m not Will Howard, sixth-round draft pick. I’m Will Howard, Pittsburgh Steeler,” Howard said. “That’s how I look at myself. And so I’m not viewing myself any differently. Obviously, I understand that the media’s gonna take it and say what they want with it, but at this point, man, I’m just a player on the team. And whether I was picked high, whether I was picked low, it doesn’t matter. I still have to produce.
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“There are positives, there are negatives, but at the end of the day, I got a chance.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Ex-NFL Scout: Don’t Dismiss What Steelers Are Saying About Will Howard
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