{"id":855916,"date":"2026-04-05T23:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/855916\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T23:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:02:17","slug":"will-howard-is-the-favorite-for-the-steelers-2027-starting-quarterback-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/855916\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Howard is the favorite for the Steelers 2027 starting quarterback job"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> are currently operating in a quarterback vacuum. While the fan base remains fixated on the looming decision from 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers<\/a>, the front office has quietly secured the only quarterback currently under contract for the 2027 season: second-year passer Will Howard. Howard\u2019s collegiate profile suggests he isn\u2019t just a “break glass in case of emergency” option, but a deliberate schematic fit for Mike McCarthy\u2019s “Texas Coast” offense.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Efficiency Anchor<\/p>\n

Evaluation of Howard\u2019s final collegiate season at Ohio State reveals a quarterback who mastered the art of the high-percentage read. Howard completed 73.1 percent of his passes in 2024<\/a>, a school record that placed him second in the nation. While critics point to the elite receiving corps he enjoyed in Columbus, the data indicates Howard was the engine of that efficiency rather than a passenger. He ranked third nationally in passing efficiency (175.25), proving that his accuracy remained stable even as the Buckeyes pushed for a national championship.<\/p>\n

The Schematic Marriage\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Jan 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy looks on at a press conference announcing him as the new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach at PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium.. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images <\/p>\n

Mike McCarthy\u2019s Texas Coast system<\/a>\u00a0(a hybrid of West Coast timing and modern spacing) places a premium on horizontal distribution and pre-snap autonomy. Howard\u2019s film shows a quarterback who excels in exactly what McCarthy demands: quick-game clarity. Even with high-level targets, Howard\u2019s decision-making in tight windows remained elite. He consistently identified pressure indicators and utilized “hot routes”<\/a> to negate the blitz, a trait that aligns perfectly with the “distributor” role McCarthy carved out for Dak Prescott in Dallas.<\/p>\n

The 2027 Roster Reality<\/p>\n

The Steelers do not currently have a clearly designated “quarterback of the future” on the roster. Rodgers has yet to sign for the 2026 season<\/a>, and even a return would likely be a final one-year rental. Howard, currently on his rookie deal, represents the only long-term stability in the room.<\/p>\n

If the Steelers and Rodgers don’t work out a multi-year deal (which would be unexpected), or a top-tier draft pick won’t be used on a quarterback, they are effectively declaring Howard the frontrunner for the 2027 opening. For a team that has struggled to find a post-Roethlisberger identity, Howard\u2019s 73-percent accuracy isn’t just a stat, it’s a potential blueprint for the next era of Steelers football.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently operating in a quarterback vacuum. While the fan base remains fixated on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248434,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2055],"tags":[7,6,520,57,2360,426],"class_list":{"0":"post-855916","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-steelers","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-nfl","10":"tag-pittsburgh","11":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","12":"tag-pittsburghsteelers","13":"tag-steelers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116354597808765375","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}