The Pittsburgh Steelers used a Day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Will Howard.
The former Ohio State quarterback had an excellent 2024 campaign for the Buckeyes, tossing 35 touchdowns to ten interceptions and leading Ryan Day’s squad to a National Championship.
Howard will now look to carve out a steady NFL career as a sixth-round pick, and though he is slated to be the No.3 quarterback in Pittsburgh behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph in 2025, one former NFL general manager believes Howard won’t have to wait long to see the field.
During a recent appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” NFL analyst and former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum predicted that Howard will be the Steelers’ starting quarterback by December 1.
“Will Howard will be starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers by December 1,” Tannenbaum said. When you have a 42-year-old quarterback [Rodgers], 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 be the quarterback of the future and Mike Tomlin will play the best players. By the time we get to December, watch what happens.”
Obviously, Howard could be forced into game action sooner than expected if an injury occurs. However, it’s unlikely that he sees significant playing time in his rookie campaign.
Learning behind Rodgers and not playing in 2025 will be incredibly beneficial for Howard, as he won’t be rushed and will receive the opportunity to learn behind one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game.
There’s always a chance that Rodgers and Rudolph are subpar, and Mike Tomlin calls on Howard. However, it’s still hard to envision a scenario where Howard sees the field for a good chunk of time in 2025, as he still has a long way to go in his development.
