Few NFL franchises have had noisier offseasons than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just when everybody and their brother thought they would take a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, they ended up taking Will Howard out of Ohio State in the sixth. With veteran Mason Rudolph in the quarterback room, that simply was not good enough for the Steelers, so they made a big signing...
By bringing in a potentially washed, 40-something quarterback in former NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, this is what the Steelers signed up for. He may be able to help them win their first playoff game in a decade. However, Rodgers has not been the least bit good since the 2021 NFL season. It is why ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum dumped a cold bucket of ice water on Rodgers being their saving grace.
Tannenbaum offered the following about Rodgers and Howard's overall viabilities while on Get Up.
"Will Howard will be starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers by Dec. 1. Will Howard led Ohio State to the national championship, 89 QBR, 35 touchdown passes. And if he was a little bit better int he offseason before the draft, he could have been a third or a fourth-round pick."
The former NFL general manager noticed a glaring issue with the Steelers' roster construction, too.
"Aaron Rodgers is an all-time great, but he will be 42 in December. Last year, Pittsburgh gave up sacks at the 28th-highest rate, meaning they were not very good protecting the passer."
Rodgers' lack of offseason work and playing behind a porous offensive line could be so disastrous.
"So when you have a 42-year-old quarterback, no offseason program, an offensive line that should, in fairness, be better because Troy Fautanu is coming back, I think Will Howard has a meaningful chance to the quarterback of the future. And Mike Tomlin will play the best players. And by the time we get to December, watch what happens."
Howard was more of a runner than a thrower prior to transferring to Ohio State from Kansas State.
Why Will Howard could take Aaron Rodgers' job as Steelers QB1
While I was not originally behind this idea, I understand where Tannebaum is coming from. So much is working against Rodgers heading into this season. He was a late addition to the team, coming off three disappointing seasons in a row. Rodgers' arm strength will work in the AFC North, but he is joining the NFL's black and blue division. I also wonder if he is the right culture fit for Pittsburgh, too.
We are talking about a stubborn, future first-ballot, hall-of-fame quarterback going to a team that is inherently defensive-minded with an offensive coordinator who loves to run the football and stay on-script. Rodgers is a notorious ad-libber. He and Arthur Smith might be at each other's throats long before Thanksgiving. If the team backslides, the only way for Mike Tomlin to save his job is Howard.
Tomlin has had the Steelers' franchise under a Kaa-like hypnotic trance from The Jungle Book for years. We think he is a friend of Mowgli, but is he really? Rather than go down a Rudyard Kipling wormhole, I would much rather get behind the idea of seeing what Howard could be down the stretch for the Steelers if it does hit the fan for them. He could be a quarterback of the future ... or just a guy...
If Tomlin can prove to ownership and the fanbase that Howard is something special, he will stay put.