Latest Steelers quarterback update from NFL insider is great news for Will Howard

Latest Steelers quarterback update from NFL insider is great news for Will Howard originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback situation is quietly one of the most intriguing offseason storylines in the NFL.

With Aaron Rodgers returning to the team on a one-year deal in what looks to be his final season, Pittsburgh now has four quarterbacks on its active roster. Joining Rodgers are 2024 sixth-round pick Will Howard, 2025 third-round pick Drew Allar, and Mason Rudolph.

Rodgers is penciled in to be the Steelers' 2026 starter, but the rest of the quarterback depth is largely unknown. However, the latest update on Pittsburgh's crowded quarterback room bodes well for Howard.

Will Howard will get first crack at QB2 job

During an episode of his show "Breer Report", Sports Illustrated's NFL insider Albert Breer said that Will Howard is going to get the first opportunity to earn the No. 2 quarterback role behind Rodgers.

"As of right now, it looks Will Howard is going to get the first crack at being the second-string quarterback in Pittsburgh," Breer said. "I think it's a fascinating situation... I'm not saying that they think Howard is going to be the quarterback for the 10 years after Rodgers is gone. But I do think Mike McCarthy sees something there and wanted to take a closer look. We'll see if Howard can beat out Mason Rudolph for the backup job."

Breer also said that he believes Allar will make the roster this year.

Howard hasn't taken a snap in the NFL yet, as the Ohio State product missed the entire preseason last year due to a hand injury and was the third-string signal-caller behind Rodgers and Rudolph when he returned in October.

However, it's clear that McCarthy thinks very highly of Howard, and if he can impress during training camp, the 24-year-old has a solid chance to be the Steelers' backup quarterback in 2026.

"He's got excellent wiring. He's more athletic than I realized from afar. He's done a great job," McCarthy said of Howard on Wednesday via Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com.

If Howard wins the backup role, Rudolph's future in Pittsburgh could look bleak. As Breer said, it's hard to imagine the Steelers cutting ties with Allar, a third-round pick less than a month ago, before his rookie year.

As a result, Rudolph could be the odd man out in Pittsburgh's quarterback room, which would be a shocking development, given that he was the backup last year.