The Pittsburgh Steelers put together one heck of an offseason, from selecting Will Howard in the sixth round of the NFL Draft right up through early July, when Jalen Ramsey arrived via trade with the Miami Dolphins. The Steelers let go of Minkah Fitzpatrick, George Pickens, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this offseason, among others, while adding Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith and Ramsey. It has been a whirlwind.
And yet, a lot of eyeballs will be focused on the late-round rookie. Howard just won the national championship at Ohio State, becoming one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football and getting over a hurdle plenty of top recruits before him could not (including Justin Fields). Now he takes a crack at the Steelers QB room.
We don't need to pretend like Howard is anything more than QB3 right now. The Steelers are going to trot out 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers like it's a good idea and hope for the best. Meanwhile, the return of Mason Rudolph solves the question of Pittsburgh's backup QB. Howard will sit behind two veterans of varying degrees of accomplishment and hope to learn.
But what about next season? Well, the time to start thinking about next season is now, especially after T.J. Watt broke the bank with a historic three-year, $123 million contract that makes him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history.
Will Howard needs to show signs of starting potential in Steelers training camp
Watt's contract was long overdue and a necessary burden for the Steelers front office to take on. But it will limit their flexibility, to the point where replacing Aaron Rodgers next season will be more difficult than before.
Pittsburgh can always just pick another quarterback in an earlier round, but unless Cade Klubnik or Arch Manning are on the board, it's not like the Steelers will have a home-run, obvious franchise quarterback available to them. Meanwhile, trading for an expensive starter like Tua Tagovailoa or paying serious money to, like, Kirk Cousins becomes a bit harder. Watt anchors the Steelers' defense, but he also kneecaps their flexibility.
So, that means the pressure is on for Will Howard — not only in the clubhouse, but from former franchise legend and Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who claims to "just see the difference" with Howard.
The 23-year-old rookie is the cheapest succession option — a sixth-round pick on four-year, $4.4 million contract with only $248,100 guaranteed. There is no financial risk with Howard, so if he outperforms expectations and looks the part of a year-two starter, the Steelers end up in a great position with the NFL's best bargain contract.
Will Howard is in a good position to showcase his talents with Pittsburgh
Howard won't see the field next season barring catastrophe, but he will still operate under a bright spotlight in Pittsburgh. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Howard rose to the occasion at Ohio State and is plenty familiar with pressure. Any rookie working under Aaron Rodgers is going to attract eyeballs and media speculation. Howard is better equipped than your average sixth-round pick to handle scrutiny.
Arthur Smith is probably a good starter-OC for a quarterback like Howard, who needs to sharpen his execution and cut down on mistakes. He has the size, athleticism and arm strength of a prototypical modern quarterback, but Howard can get sped up under duress and float longer throws into traffic. Smith's offenses are traditionally rooted in a strong run game and quick-hitting intermediate passes, which is where Howard thrived most for the Buckeyes.
It's a strong schematic fit, so if Howard looks the part in camp and continues to perform with the third-stringers in practice throughout the season, there's a world in which he is ready to supplant Rodgers a year from now. That is the ideal outcome for Pittsburgh, as money is awfully tight these days.