The battle between Will Howard and Drew Allar for the QB3 role for the Pittsburgh Steelers hasn't been a very exciting battle. Howard is ahead on the initial depth chart, but people around Steelers camp have suggested that Allar is playing slightly better than Howard.
One thing's for sure: the Steelers can't go into the 2026 season with four quarterbacks on the roster, and Howard probably makes the most sense to move. Steelers fans might like the guy, but it'd be a waste of a roster spot to keep him around. That means it might be time to shop him to a team that's in need of depth at the sport's most important position.
Proposed Steelers-Lions trade for Will Howard
The Steelers aren't dealing from a position of strength here. The leverage is basically nothing, as you can just wait out Howard being cut and try to get him that way. But if a team is really worried about its quarterback depth, throwing a sixth-round pick Pittsburgh's way isn't the worst idea in the world. The chance that Howard works out is low, but the upside is higher than any potential sixth-round pick in 2027 will be.
One team that might fnd itself in that position? The Detroit Lions. And I know you're thinking "but they have Jared Goff," to which I counter with "yeah, they have Jared Goff."
The former No. 1 overall pick is still only 31 years old, but his numbers took a decent dip last season. Not to some extreme where you need to freak out, but maybe enough that you improve the roster behind him just in case.
Behind Goff, you have Teddy Bridgewater. He's thrown 15 passes over the past three seasons and had a retirement stint that he spent coaching high school football. He's someone you want in your locker room, but he's not someone you want taking stats during an NFL game.
After Bridgewater, you have undrafted free agent Luke Altmyer, and...that's it. The Lions finally ended the Hendon Hooker experiment, so there's no one with long-term upside. This is where Howard comes into play.
While the 2025 sixth-round pick has never played an NFL snap, there's something interesting about him. His athleticism is something the Lions have long missed at quarterback, and while he's struggled a bit with his deep ball in the past, he has a build that suggests there's more power in his arm than we've seen.
Is he a perfect prospect? Of course not! He went in the sixth round! But the Lions are in a really rough spot behind Goff, so trading a sixth of their own in hopes Howard can sort some things out and challenge Bridgewater for the QB2 role isn't a bad decision at all.
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