The Pittsburgh Steelers are still stuck in quarterback purgatory, but they have two developmental pieces on the roster to try and get themselves out of this hole and back into contending status. They have spoken nonstop about how much they love Will Howard, but they can't just put all their eggs into his basket. They used their third-round pick on Drew Allar, a highly talented passer that needs a lot of work to fix his mechanics. They have to put a ton of emphasis on this position if they ever want to thrive again.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback Will Howard during the 2025 training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, working with coaches and teammates as he prepares for his first full NFL season.
The two quarterbacks are expected to compete with each other for the primary backup role throughout the summer and into 2027, but that could start very early on. In his article on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, insider Ray Fittipaldo mentioned that Howard could be invited to rookie minicamp despite not actually being a rookie anymore.
"On Friday, when the rookies report to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Drew Allar will go through his first NFL practice and there is a chance Will Howard will join him," Fittipaldo said. "Teams are allowed to have five veteran players participate in rookie minicamp, and Howard is a good candidate to get the extra reps because he missed about two months of practice time last year when he was dealing with a fractured right hand in August and September."
In this case, the term "veteran" is used very loosely, as it just means a player is not in their first year in the NFL. Obviously, Allar will participate, as he will need a head start to learn the playbook and catch up with everyone else on the team. Howard already knows the playbook well, but with the severe lack of training camp and preseason reps in 2025, it won't hurt to have him back in the fray.
Justin K. Aller / Getty Images
Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) takes part in minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Howard fractured a finger due to a freak accident while fielding a snap in training camp, and the injury cost him all of preseason. On top of that, the Steelers really wanted to keep Skylar Thompson around due to how well he performed. While the former sixth-round pick was not expected to miss four weeks, he was placed on Injured Reserve (IR), which took away many weeks of him being able to practice at all.
Howard did eventually come off of IR, but he exclusively ran scout team with the exception of the time for when Aaron Rodgers was missing time to injury. He did get some normal reps during that time, but not nearly enough for the coaches to have total confidence in him. He still needs all the live reps he can get, and that may mean beginning his competition with Allar early on in May.
Steelers May Already Know What Their Quarterback Room Will Look Like
Obviously, the Steelers are expecting Rodgers to return. If that happens, then he will start. With how much they have praised Howard, he will likely be the primary backup with Allar taking scout team reps throughout the season as he tries to develop properly. That leaves veteran Mason Rudolph as the odd man out barring injury. Pittsburgh doesn't need veteran backups; it needs developmental pieces for the future.
David Banks / Imagn Images
Steelers' Mason Rudolph runs with the football during a road game against the Chicago Bears in 2025.
The fact that Howard will get these extra reps in rookie minicamp will give him the ability to gain more of an edge on Rudolph when full team minicamps begin in the middle of May. As long as something unfortunate doesn't happen like breaking his hand on a snap, he should be able to take the veteran's spot on the depth chart while getting second-team reps to continue his development as Allar just gets started.
What do you think about Howard being invited to rookie minicamp again? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
#SteelerNation