Former Scout Drops Powerful Take On Steelers' QB Room: "I'd Be Stunned If He Doesn't Play"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the more intriguing quarterback situations in the entire NFL, and that is the case for the second offseason in a row. The situation is completely up in the air as Aaron Rodgers continues to weigh the decision of potentially continuing his playing career, and if he does decide to do that it will more than likely be with the Steelers. He will be the starter without question if he decides to return, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the room shakes out with Will Howard and Mason Rudolph both under contract for the 2026 season.

In 2025, Rudolph was the backup to Rodgers while Howard was the emergency third-string quarterback once he returned to full health. The young quarterback has not seen an NFL field yet due to an injury that kept him out of the preseason and most of the start of the regular season, but there is excitement building around him as he prepares for his second year as a professional. Former NFL scout John Middlekauff spoke about the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh on a recent episode of his podcast 3 & Out with John Middlekauff, and he believes Howard will play in 2026.

"If I was a betting man, because it's like who are their quarterbacks?" Middlekauff asked. "Will Howard's going to be the backup and Aaron Rodgers is going to be the starter. And based on a guy being over 40, there is no guarantee, and we just saw last year he broke his hand and Aaron Rodgers no longer moves at all. Like Will Howard is probably going to get some starts in 2026."

Middlekauff is under the impression that Rodgers will be back in Pittsburgh for his second season with the organization, but he questions his durability. He missed one game during the 2025 season after fracturing his wrist, but Rudolph was the backup and got the chance to start against the Chicago Bears. The former scout believes Howard will jump Rudolph on the depth chart, which could earn the young quarterback some starts if Rodgers goes down again.

Middlekauff's rationale behind this line of thinking stems from the fact that both Rodgers and Head Coach Mike McCarthy have been huge supporters of Howard. Rodgers has praised the quarterback ever since they got in the building together, and the former scout believes the four-time league MVP's opinion carries some weight with McCarthy. McCarthy has also come out and said that he would have drafted Howard well before the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, where Pittsburgh ended up selecting him.

The recent comments from McCarthy show exactly how he feels about Howard, assuming he is being true with his words. This could lead to the fan base finally seeing the young quarterback in action, which is something the fan base has been itching for.

Steelers Should Get Will Howard On The Field No Matter What

Middlekauff laid out the scenario of Rodgers getting banged up and Howard then taking the field, but he believes the young quarterback will play no matter what. This could be in a game that gets out of hand, as Pittsburgh fans saw Rudolph enter games in a few of those situations during the 2025 season.

"I am starting to believe," Middlekauff said. "Many of you might not get your wish of Will Howard just being the starter and just seeing what they got, I'd be stunned if he doesn't play in 2026."

This is great news for fans in Pittsburgh as the fan base has been clamoring to see the young quarterback take the field, and that might finally happen in 2026.

What do you think about these predictions from Middlekauff? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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