Steelers LB Alex Highsmith Has Huge Hope For QB Will Howard In 2026: "We're All Excited"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have begun a process that many didn't believe the franchise would begin for many years. Ever since former head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down as the lead man after the completely uninspiring showing in the Wild Card Round against the Houston Texans, the Steelers have essentially made sweeping changes throughout the organization. The first major change was to hire new head coach Mike McCarthy, and allowing him to bring in an entirely new staff in his efforts. This new staff will not only be a strong attempt to adjust the culture within the organization, but it will be a way to allow other players to get meaningful playing time.

One of the players that could see an increase in meaningful snaps is quarterback Will Howard. Many players on the team are excited to see what Howard could bring to the table, with one of those players being linebacker Alex Highsmith. Highsmith recently appeared on the latest episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast to talk about many different elements of the change coming to the Steelers as a franchise. Apart from talking about how excited he is to work with McCarthy, Highsmith also gave his thoughts on how excited he is to see Howard potentially get snaps. Highsmith was asked about the potential McCarthy brings to fixing the offense, and his answer immediately mentioned Howard.

"It'll be cool too with Will, you know," Highsmith said. "That's how he develops him, you know, as a young quarterback. And especially, I'm just excited to see him get some action. I just hated it for him last year not being able to play any preseason games. So I know we're all excited to see him and know what he can do."

McCarthy does have an incredibly strong track record with developing quarterbacks. In the 2021 NFL season, during McCarthy's time with the Dallas Cowboys, he ran the top ranked total offense in the entire league, making Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott look like a true MVP candidate. Highsmith knows that McCarthy would be able to help Howard develop in a similar way, and while no one expects Howard to immediately start and become a contender for league MVP, the hope is that Howard will be able to eventually get to this point during his career.

Highsmith isn't the only one excited about the potential that Howard could bring to the Steelers. Coach McCarthy himself expressed his excitement to be able to work with Howard, and should the Steelers plans at quarterback involve making Howard the starter, there's a lot of potential that McCarthy will be sure to exploit. Depending on how the Steelers plan to approach the 2026 NFL Draft and the upcoming free agency period once the season concludes, the plans regarding the future of the offense will begin to take shape. Whether or not these plans involve Howard starting, or someone else, with McCarthy's track record of improving quarterback play, the Steelers will hopefully be seeing an upgrade at the position.

Highsmith is also the first notable Steelers player to make any sort of remark about the Steelers' choice to hire McCarthy as head coach. The fact that he is as excited as he is with McCarthy coming in, along with how he can elevate the quarterback room, should excite Steelers fans who are desperately looking for change. The last few seasons have seen some incredibly awful play on offense, and McCarthy and Howard might be the perfect duo to change that.

Fans Feel Steelers Need To Let Will Howard Be The Starter In 2026

No matter what the plans are as a franchise, the Steelers' top priority should be giving Howard the reigns to start going forward. If he ends up playing well, the Steelers could be right back in contention. If he does not play well, the Steelers could have a high enough draft pick to get their future quarterback. 

Nonetheless, Highsmith believes the future is bright with Howard starting.

What did you think about Highsmith's comments about Howard? Let us know in the comments below.

#SteelerNation