"Will Howard Has Made Strides": Steelers Insider Sees Improvement Lately From The Quarterback

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be approaching the point where a backup-quarterback competition stops being a depth-chart exercise and starts becoming a roster-management headache. Mason Rudolph opened camp with the safest résumé behind Aaron Rodgers, while Will Howard was still trying to prove that a lost rookie preseason had not stalled his development. A week and a half later, the gap between them looks a lot less comfortable.

Nick Farabaugh is not ready to hand Howard the job, and his hesitation makes the situation more interesting than a simple changing-of-the-guard story. Rudolph still offers the experience Pittsburgh would normally want behind a 42-year-old starter, but Howard has finally put enough good football on tape to make moving on from the veteran a conversation rather than a punchline.

Rudolph started Pittsburgh's 28-9 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers and completed 10 of 11 passes for 93 yards, looking exactly like the steady veteran the Steelers expected. Howard followed by going 7 of 9 for 86 yards, then closed the first half by steering an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in the two-minute offense. Neither quarterback handed the coaching staff an obvious reason to move him down the board.

Pittsburgh's second-year quarterback spent much of camp trying to catch Rudolph in the details, where the veteran's command and consistency gave him an early advantage. The competition has tightened enough that Farabaugh now sees a legitimate path to trusting Howard as the backup, even if he is not quite willing to sign the paperwork yet.

During a recent breakdown, Farabaugh explained how dramatically the race has changed.

“I don’t think right now I’m at the spot where I’d be ready to totally move on from Rudolph. Now, if you offer me a fifth-round pick, would I do it? Probably… Howard has made strides over the last week and a half… I am getting to a point where I think I could start to say, ‘Okay, I’m comfortable with Will Howard,’ but I’m not quite there just yet,” Farabaugh said. 

His position lands in the uncomfortable middle: Howard has done enough to make Rudolph expendable at the right price, but not enough to make releasing the veteran feel painless. Rudolph is not some random fourth arm waiting for August to end. The Steelers signed him to a two-year contract in March 2025, and he has already shown he can enter NFL games without turning the offense into an emergency drill. His value is predictability, which is not sexy until the starter leaves the field and everyone suddenly develops a deep appreciation for boring.

Pittsburgh's own quarterback coach's assessment has reflected that comfort. Rudolph has spent the summer learning Mike McCarthy's quarterback system while bringing years of professional experience to the room. Howard is trying to prove that his upside and mobility can now come with enough command to replace some of that security.

Farabaugh framed the fifth-round-pick idea as a hypothetical price he personally would consider, not reporting that Pittsburgh has an offer or is actively shopping Rudolph. It illustrates how quickly the equation changes if another team offers Pittsburgh tangible value.

Rudolph and Howard also face very different exit routes. Rudolph is a vested veteran, so if Pittsburgh releases him, he becomes a free agent immediately. Howard would have to clear waivers before the Steelers could attempt to bring him back on the practice squad, leaving every other team with a chance to claim a 2025 sixth-round pick who is finally healthy and beginning to look more comfortable in McCarthy's offense.

Pittsburgh also has Rodgers as the unquestioned starter and rookie Drew Allar, a third-round pick who has already strengthened his own roster case with an excellent preseason debut. Four quarterbacks can fit on a 53-man roster mathematically, but so can an extra offensive lineman, defensive back or special-teams contributor. The roster does not hand out bonus seats because the quarterback room became interesting.

The calendar is beginning to squeeze the debate, too. Pittsburgh must eventually reduce the roster to 53, and there is no preseason month left for Howard to slowly build his case. Every remaining rep now carries two evaluations at once: whether he can handle QB2 responsibilities and whether keeping Rudolph instead is worth sacrificing the younger quarterback's roster spot.

Pittsburgh's next test comes Friday against the New York Jets, followed by the preseason finale at the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 27, so the evaluation window is shrinking quickly.

Steelers Have An Uncomfortable Decision Coming Fast

Farabaugh ultimately expects Pittsburgh to keep only one of Rudolph or Howard unless the organization finds a creative way to manipulate the roster. That possibility puts even more weight on the final two preseason games because Howard is no longer merely auditioning for developmental patience. He is pushing against a veteran the Steelers already know they can trust.

Final cuts are still ahead, and another game can make a two-week surge look either sustainable or typical of August. Howard needs to keep showing that his improved pocket movement, accuracy and command survive when the picture gets uglier, while Rudolph can remind everyone why experienced backup quarterbacks tend to look more valuable the closer Week 1 gets.

The trade route would create the cleanest separation if another team actually offered enough to make Pittsburgh listen. A fifth-round pick for Rudolph would convert surplus into future value while allowing Howard to climb the depth chart without the Steelers simply discarding a useful veteran. Without a worthwhile offer, the decision gets considerably less tidy.

Howard has not taken Rudolph's job yet, but he has done something almost as important for his future: he has made the Steelers seriously think about what it would look like if he did. The competition now has two preseason games left and very little elbow room.

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