The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very divisive quarterback competition going throughout the 2026 training camp. Mason Rudolph has plenty of experience and is seen as a very safe option. There is still the memory of him lighting it up at the end of the 2023 season to save Pittsburgh, so there is a little bit of hope that he can do it again. Meanwhile, Will Howard is more of an unknown. He could be a direct upgrade to the veteran backup, or he could completely flame out and just be a practice squad guy.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers QBs Will Howard and Mason Rudolph throw the football during the 2026 offseason workouts.
The biggest knock against Howard in the draft process has been his supposed lack of arm strength. Critics everywhere believe that he's not elite in that regard, but there are plenty of questions about whether he can make the deep passes whenever he needs to. One of his receivers is DK Metcalf, who thrives on the deep 50/50 ball outside the numbers, so the young passer will have to make those throws on a regular basis.
In his latest Q&A chat, Ray Fittipaldo pushed back on this idea that Howard's arm strength is a big issue. He compared the former sixth-round pick to a quality quarterback that has done nothing but make money everywhere he's been.
"Kirk Cousins is one who comes to mind," Fittipaldo said. "There are others. I don't think Howard's arm strength is as bad as it's made out to be, but he'll have a chance over the next few weeks to show he can make all the throws."
It's not like Howard has a total noodle arm if his comparison there is Kirk Cousins. He has made plenty of big passes in his 14-year NFL career. He has never been seen as elite, but he can still get the job done if he has a reliable offensive line and receiver room. He's still seen as a good enough player to be the Week 1 starter in his 15th season in the league.
Cousins has had plenty of ups and downs in his career. He was the league leader in completion percentage in 2015 while throwing for almost 5,000 yards in 2016. In 2022, he led the Minnesota Vikings to an impressive 13-4 record while leading the league with eight game-winning drives. As long as he has time to throw, he has historically been a solid quarterback.
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Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins coming out of the tunnel as he prepares to take on the Minnesota Vikings in a professional football game.
If the Steelers can get Cousins-like talent and production from a sixth-round pick, they will be more than happy with that. Obviously, the hope is that they can find themselves an elite quarterback, but that is much easier said than done. At the very least, Howard could give the team a reprieve from quarterback purgatory if he can throw the ball accurately all over the field, even with that supposed lack of strength.
Steelers Could Have Howard As A Placeholder While Working On Project
Drew Allar arguably has the higher upside of the two young quarterbacks in Pittsburgh. He is also the one that needs the most work done to become a quality option. Barring injury, expectations are that he will exclusively work with the scout team throughout the 2026 season as he works on fixing the flawed mechanics that he was taught all throughout college.
If the Steelers can't get a quality starter in the 2027 offseason, they can rely on Howard and hope he plays similar to Cousins. Meanwhile, Allar would likely get the second-team reps that year and hit his next phase of development. Once he's ready, Pittsburgh would be able to either trade the former sixth-round pick for a nice return or let him walk in free agency so someone else can pay him a ton of money.
What do you think about Howard's arm strength being compared to Cousins despite all the negative press about it? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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