Ben Roethlisberger sent a very clear warning to rookie Will Howard. Unless there’s a way for him to get playing time during the regular season, he’ll hardly have a chance to be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the near future. It all happened in his podcast Footbahlin.
“Will Howard is behind the eight ball big time in the sense that he was sixth-rounder. So, Will would have to play and play well. Otherwise, they’re probably going to go draft a quarterback high.”
The Steelers trust Aaron Rodgers as their solution for 2025 and have amassed significant draft capital with 2026 in mind. That could leave Howard in a dangerous limbo, unable to showcase his talent.
Who will be Steelers backup quarterback?
Mason Rudolph is the backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that further complicates Will Howard’s situation, as he currently holds the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. Roethlisberger believes that if the Ohio State prospect doesn’t see any action, he could already be doomed for 2026.
“When they draft a quarterback high, they’ll most likely not going to put the sixth-rounder above a high draft pick. Otherwise it’s like, ‘Oh, we made a mistake.’ So, Will is going to be behind the eight. Even when he’s playing well, they’re not going to put him ahead of a high drafted dude. Will’s road is going to be tough here in Pittsburgh. Unless he gets a chance to get out there and he plays well right from the get go.”