Steelers Inventory Watch – QB Will Howard

Player: QB Will Howard

Stock Value: Up

Reasoning: Though not exceptional, rookie QB Will Howard has been steady during his rookie training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well on his way to securing a roster spot, he has already been adopted by Yinzers around the country. He is a longshot to succeed as a franchise quarterback, but his play will ultimately dictate his future. For now, he will sit behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph and learn.

If you dare suggest that Will Howard didn’t enter his rookie offseason as a stone-cold roster lock, Steelers fans are liable to punch you in the jejunum. That is to say, the fans like him, and they hope for the best for him. While that’s perfectly reasonable, it’s also reasonable to acknowledge the odds.

Just because Tom Brady turned out to be a solid sixth-round pick doesn’t mean Will Howard will be. While most fans are fully aware of it, they’ll pull for him as if it’s a given. And that’s fine, too—especially since he’s doing nothing to dissuade them. Through about one week of training camp, he is clearly separating himself from Skylar Thompson.

That might not sound like much of a win, if a win at all, to most fans. And yes, the Steelers were always likely to carry Will Howard on the roster unless he was somehow truly terrible and Thompson actually looked rather good. Nevertheless, it’s part of his journey, which starts with a climb up from the bottom of the depth chart.

Though he doesn’t get as much team work as you might want, Howard seems to make the most of it. It seems every time he gets a rep in Seven Shots, he throws a touchdown. He had two yesterday, one to RB Kenneth Gainwell and another to RB/WR Max Hurleman.

When he has played, Howard has shown a good rapport with TE JJ Galbreath. Previously, he was finding WR Montana Lemonious-Craig before his injury, but now is connecting with WR Roc Taylor. When the Steelers start giving Aaron Rodgers off days, perhaps he’ll get an occasional chance to throw to some people you’ve heard of.

With training camp underway and the Steelers exploring their new roster, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract. Oh, and they also traded some guy named George Pickens, which people found significant.

As we speak, we are in the process of learning what this Steelers team is going to look like. The dust is settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, and now we’re in camp. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? They’ve certainly made a flurry of moves, though some question whether they make much difference. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?