Steelers' Mike McCarthy May Be More Excited About Day 2 QB Prospect Than Will Howard

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have absolutely no interest in bringing in an outside veteran free agent at the quarterback position. It seems like they want to roll with Aaron Rodgers once again, but if that does not happen, then they will likely give Will Howard a legitimate shot to win the starting quarterback job. They may still draft a passer just to have another young guy in the room that has a chance of developing into a starter, even if it's a low chance. At this point, they just need to try everything. 

While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, draft analyst Ryan Wilson spoke about a potential Day 2 quarterback that the Steelers may draft to be their future, especially since he's supposedly a better passer than Howard. 

"Carson [Beck] has played more ball, played more consistently [than Howard]," Wilson said. "If you were to ask Mike McCarthy who he would favor in terms of starting a game tomorrow, I would imagine he would say Carson Beck."

The Steelers have been very high on Howard based on how much they have praised him over the past couple months, especially when Mike McCarthy got officially hired to become Pittsburgh's next head coach. If Wilson's report is correct, however, they are either not that high on the former 2025 sixth-round pick, or they are just entranced by what Carson Beck showed during the Miami Hurricanes' run to the National Championship Game. 

On Tuesday, the Steelers invited Beck into the facilities for a Top-30 visit, which at least shows that there is some level of interest there. It's unclear exactly how much interest there is, but Wilson's report makes it sound like Pittsburgh would love to have him on the team. With three third-round picks currently in hand, they may be inclined to use one of them on the 23-year-old prospect. 

In 2025, Beck led the SEC in completions and completion percentage with 338 and 72.4% respectively. He had a career-high 30 touchdowns, but he also matched his career-worst in interceptions with 12. There is definitely a lot for him to work on at the NFL level, but if McCarthy truly sees him as a better prospect and player than Howard, he could end up starting games in 2026 while wearing black and gold. 

Steelers May Be Scared Of Struggling Prospects

The 2026 quarterback class was supposed to be one of the best classes in recent memory. Instead, nearly everyone regressed and it quickly became the worst one we've seen since 2022. There are many players with high ceilings, but almost all of them also have extremely low floors with questions about their football IQ and NIL possibly ruining the most important position in the game. 

With all of those concerns, the idea of getting an older prospect seems very enticing. Beck can do more right now than nearly every other quarterback that is looking to make it to the NFL this year. On top of that, the 2027 draft class is supposedly stacked with amazing passers, but that's what we were told about this year's class. Pittsburgh can't put all of its eggs into one basket and hope that next year won't be more of the same.

What do you think about McCarthy possibly liking Beck more than Howard, as well as the fact that the Steelers invited the prospect in for a Top-30 visit? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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