Browns' Shedeur Sanders Caused Major Problem For Steelers' Will Howard That Still Impacts Him Today

The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback situation has been in complete disarray ever since Ben Roethlisberger decided to retire following the 2021 season. Pittsburgh has already tried to draft a quarterback high in the NFL Draft, and that resulted in the franchise bringing in Kenny Pickett, who was traded after just two seasons. Other quarterbacks that have lined up under center for Pittsburgh include Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Mason Rudolph, and of course, Aaron Rodgers. Will Howard is on the roster and has been hyped up quite a bit by the coaching staff and fans, and many want to see him get a chance to start for the Steelers.

According to recent reports, Rodgers will likely be returning to Pittsburgh to be the starting quarterback for the 2026 season. This means Howard will have to wait for his chance, if he ever gets one in Pittsburgh. A big argument against him being given a shot to start is that he was a sixth-round pick in 2025. That should typically mean he can maybe get an opportunity to be a backup, but there are some who believe he should have gone much higher in the event. The young quarterback explained what happened while on a recent episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast.

"I thought there was a chance that I was going to go Friday," Howard said. "I was hearing that. I remember talking with some of the guys from the Steelers and it was really that whole Shedeur situation that kind of, him sliding really hurt a lot of the other quarterbacks in our class. Just because, you know, he was ranked a little bit higher, so nobody wanted to take guys like me, or Riley Leonard, or Kyle McCord, Quinn Ewers. When you think about that, all of us, Riley, Me, Kyle, Quinn, we were all like six, six, seven picks. We were all like, late, late picks."

Being drafted late has been one of the major knocks on Howard, even though that is something that he cannot control. He explained that he was hearing from his agent that he could get drafted on Day 2 of the event, and that the Steelers were interested. He later found out from the Steelers that Shedeur Sanders sliding to the fifth round forced Pittsburgh to wait on him.

This would add up. Sanders was viewed by many as a first-round pick, and he wound up sliding all the way to the fifth round. Right after that, the other quarterbacks began to be selected. Kyle McCord, Howard, and Riley Leonard were all picked next within the same 10 selections. Sanders' slide caught many by surprise, and it certainly played a role when it came to where the other quarterbacks were drafted.

Howard had mentioned that he knew that the Steelers were one of the organizations that had shown the most interest in him, and he knew there was a chance that he could have gone on the second day of the draft. Pittsburgh did not have a second-round pick in 2025, and the only pick the franchise had on Day 2 came in the third round, and it was used on running back Kaleb Johnson. Had Sanders not slid, it could have been used on Howard. The franchise also could have considered moving up into the third round again.

Steelers' Will Howard Faces More Competition Than Ever

If and when Rodgers signs, there is a chance that Howard may be the odd man out in the Steelers quarterback room. Rudolph is an experienced veteran that the franchise may want to hold onto if Rodgers goes down, and the organization just drafted Drew Allar in the third round. Allar and Rodgers are guaranteed to be on the roster in 2026, assuming Rodgers signs. Either Rudolph or Howard could be on a different team, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

What do you think of Howard's comments from his draft process? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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