Former GM Predicts Steelers' Will Howard Will Be The Starter By December

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a weird spot as a franchise. The organization wants to win now, but it also has to be careful and make sure it is building for the future. That starts with the quarterback position, and bringing in Aaron Rodgers was a move that was clearly made with winning now being on the top of the mind of all decision makers in Pittsburgh. He is likely to retire after the 2025 season, and he is only on a one-year deal with the Steelers. Pittsburgh is certainly thinking about the future of the position, which includes Will Howard, and the 2026 draft class.

Howard is coming off of the best year of football in his life. He led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a National Championship, and he was clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the country. The Steelers were able to draft him in the sixth-round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which is later than most expected him to go. It is a longshot that he will ever become a franchise quarterback, but former NFL General Manager Mike Tannenbaum believes it is a possibility, which he stated on Get Up on Friday.

"Will Howard will be starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers by December 1st," Tannenbaum said. "Will Howard led Ohio State to the National Championship, 89 QBR, 35 touchdown passes. And if he was a little bit better in the offseason before the draft, he could have been a third or a fourth round pick."

The rookie will probably start the regular season as the third quarterback on the depth chart for the Steelers as he is also behind Mason Rudolph, which makes Tannenbaum's prediction a bit unrealistic. Also, Rodgers isn't the type of quarterback that would be benched. He has made it clear that retirement is on his mind, and he definitely does not want to end his Hall of Famer career in that manner.

Rodgers is over 40, but he was still one of the better quarterbacks in the league during the 2024 season, while bouncing back from a serious Achilles injury. The New York Jets were a disaster overall, but he improved as the year went along, and his final statistics were fairly impressive. Tannenbaum still thinks Howard could end up starting, and he spoke about why.

"Aaron Rodgers is an all-time great, but he will be 42 in December," Tannenbaum said. "Last year, Pittsburgh gave up sacks at the 28th-highest rate, meaning they were not very good protecting the passer. 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 be the quarterback of the future. And Mike Tomlin will play the best players. And by the time we get to December, watch what happens."

Tannenbaum is suggesting that Howard will be better for the Steelers later in the season due to his mobility, stature, and youth. He thinks he might be a better player than Rodgers at that point, which could force Head Coach Mike Tomlin into making the tough decision to thrust Howard into the starting role. The coach never went back to Justin Fields in 2024, so it is hard to imagine Rodgers could get benched for Howard.

Steelers Need To Give Will Howard An Opportunity If The Chance Arises

Pittsburgh needs to be careful with how Howard is used, and it needs to be a priority to develop him. There is no question that Rodgers is the starter, but Howard needs to be the backup in front of Rudolph. Third-string quarterbacks rarely get reps during practices -- especially against starters, and that is where Howard needs to be getting on the field. Also, if the season goes poorly and seems like it is lost, Howard should be given the chance to prove himself as the starter. The Steelers are probably going to draft a quarterback in 2026, but Howard needs an opportunity.

What do you think about Tannenbaum's prediction? Let us know in the comments below!

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