Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has made it clear he’s a fan of second-year QB Will Howard. His belief in Howard didn’t suddenly come about after he took the Steelers job, however. He told reporters Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings that he would’ve drafted Howard earlier than the sixth round.

“If I was drafting players [last] year, he wouldn’t have been around in the fifth or sixth round. I valued him higher than that based off Kansas State, and man I thought he jumped out of the TV set during the college playoffs,” McCarthy said via TribLive’s Chris Adamski. “He’s definitely a real prospect as a starting quarterback. I believed that when he came out.”

That doesn’t mean McCarthy thinks Howard is a perfect prospect. He broke down some areas where he thinks Howard could stand to improve.

“You talk about his throwing motion, some things throwing the ball, there’s a lot of growth with his feet,” McCarthy said. “The challenge I see in college football, it’s so scheme heavy. There’s not a lot of training in the footwork.”

“There’s room for development there.”

Mike McCarthy on Will Howard: “He has all the traits to be a starting quarterback.”
Says if he was in charge of a draft last year that Howard would not have lasted at all into the 6th round. pic.twitter.com/SQoxYAtUOg

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) March 31, 2026

McCarthy also talked about the importance of being able to win from the pocket and win in the two-minute drill. Notably, when discussing Howard’s footwork, McCarthy also mentioned Aaron Rodgers’ footwork, calling him “the guy ahead of him.” Last year, Rodgers helped Howard with his five-step drop early in mandatory minicamp, and another season of Rodgers mentoring Howard could help him clean up some of the issues McCarthy noted.

If Rodgers doesn’t return, there’s been a lot of speculation that the Steelers could turn to Howard as their Plan B. McCarthy’s comments will fuel those flames, even though he made it clear there’s still room for improvement. Howard has yet to play in any NFL game, as he missed last preseason, and it’s hard to rely on him without him playing. McCarthy seems to be a big fan of him, and it’s not the worst idea for the Steelers to get a better sense of what they have in Howard and whether he can handle a starting job.

If the Steelers and McCarthy can develop Howard into a starting-caliber player, it would be a big win for a franchise that needs a long-term solution at quarterback. But it’s much easier said than done, and there’s still plenty that Howard needs to improve. Having Rodgers back would help, and McCarthy has worked with plenty of talented quarterbacks, so there’s a chance they can get Howard to the point where he can start. It just might not happen as soon as some would like.