{"id":854232,"date":"2026-04-05T00:19:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T00:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854232\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T00:19:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T00:19:22","slug":"ex-nfl-scout-dont-dismiss-what-steelers-are-saying-about-will-howard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854232\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-NFL Scout: Don\u2019t Dismiss What Steelers Are Saying About Will Howard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though he didn\u2019t play at all as a Pittsburgh Steelers rookie, Will Howard learned from last season.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you listen to Aaron Rodgers over the course of the last year, he\u2019s a big Will Howard guy. He has been singing his praises,\u201d Middlekauff said<\/a> on the \u201c3 & Out\u201d podcast. \u201cHe clearly likes him a lot. \u2026 When you\u2019re a third-day pick \u2014 so starting in the fourth round, but specifically fifth, sixth, seventh round \u2014 when you\u2019re a quarterback, the only way to become the starter is through injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an uphill battle. But Mike McCarthy mentioned that if he would\u2019ve been in the draft room a year ago, that Will Howard wouldn\u2019t have been on the board then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard in a game against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 1, 2025. \u2014 Ed Thompson \/ Steelers Now<\/p>\n

Middlekauff previously worked as a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles. McCarthy, the Steelers\u2019 first-year head coach, has mentioned being excited to work with Howard<\/a> on a handful of different occasions this offseason.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWill Howard\u2019s gonna be the backup and Aaron Rodgers is gonna be the starter,\u201d Middlekauff said. \u201cAnd based on a guy being over 40, there is no guarantee (he stays healthy). We just saw last year. He broke his hand. \u2026 Will Howard is probably gonna get some starts in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be stunned if he doesn\u2019t play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard recently addressed the stigma that comes with being a sixth-round pick in an exclusive interview with Steelers Now.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, I\u2019m not Will Howard, sixth-round draft pick. I\u2019m Will Howard, Pittsburgh Steeler,\u201d Howard said<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s how I look at myself. And so I\u2019m not viewing myself any differently. Obviously, I understand that the media\u2019s gonna take it and say what they want with it, but at this point, man, I\u2019m just a player on the team. And whether I was picked high, whether I was picked low, it doesn\u2019t matter. I still have to produce.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are positives, there are negatives, but at the end of the day, I got a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Steelers Now<\/a>: Ex-NFL Scout: Don\u2019t Dismiss What Steelers Are Saying About Will Howard<\/a><\/p>\n

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