Steelers Fans Learn The Truth Behind Will Howard's Sudden Drop On The Depth Chart

The Pittsburgh Steelers began training camp on Wednesday, but the team reported to Latrobe on Monday night and Tuesday morning. New Head Coach Mike McCarthy addressed the media on Tuesday as did some of the star players on the roster. McCarthy was asked about the quarterback situation, which is expected to be one of the storylines that is closely followed throughout the team's time at St. Vincent College. Aaron Rodgers is the clear starter, but how the room fills out behind him is a mystery. McCarthy shocked some fans with the initial depth chart in the room to begin camp.

Throughout the spring and other offseason activities, it seemed like Will Howard was the quarterback taking the second-string reps, but that suddenly changed on Tuesday. McCarthy announced that Mason Rudolph would take the snaps behind Rodgers, while Howard and rookie Drew Allar would split the rest. This came as a surprise to some fans, although the head coach did make a point to note that the room is relatively fluid outside of Rodgers being the starter. 

The sudden change was bizarre, but there might be some good reason for it. The Steelers are probably going to be under center more often in 2026 in McCarthy's refreshed offensive system. Rodgers and Rudolph are more experienced with going under center and making checks, while Howard and Allar would need some more time to get used to that. Former college quarterback Pat Bostick made this point on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday morning.

"Being under center, having to check things at the line, you're not looking at the sideline looking for signalers." Bostick said. "You're getting the call in your head, and you have certain solutions for problems that can happen and its up to you to solve them. You talk about the detail of a Mike McCarthy, and what that's going to do for Will Howard and Drew Allar, but these guys have never done that. At least not to this extent. But imagine, you've never had a hard-ball play action and had your back turned to the defense, turned around and found a safety, saw how the coverage spun."

There has been a lot of talk about how the college game has changed for the guys playing the quarterback position, and the lack of under center experience signal-callers get is quite discouraging. They essentially need to learn a whole new skill when arriving in the NFL, and it is a direct indictment of the college game and how it is coached.

Lack of experience under center is a problem for both Howard and Allar, and pretty much any quarterback coming out of college nowadays. This explains why Howard might be starting camp out behind Rudolph in the quarterback rotation, and it means he could leap the veteran if he can prove that he is able to handle the responsibilities of being under center. 

A quarterback's drop is different under center, as is reading the coverage, and the timing of certain routes is drastically get mixed up as well. It is a whole different thing, and the player needs to focus on going through a clean quarterback-center exchange. If Howard can prove he can do this, he might have a real chance at the top backup job. Allar could also take a good step forward in this regard, but it has already been made clear this is basically a redshirt year for the rookie.

Steelers' Will Howard Has A Lot To Prove During Training Camp

Howard missed most of training camp and the entire preseason ahead of the 2025 season, so he has a lot to prove during camp. There is a world where he could be cut if he does not perform well in practices and in the preseason games. He will have to play at least somewhat similarly to Rudolph in order to have a chance to win the top backup job.

What do you think about this concern from Bostick? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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