Steelers' Will Howard Gets Rare Validation From Former NFL MVP Who Knows Mike McCarthy

The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent months trying to determine how much of their young quarterback's development can be manufactured in a meeting room. Footwork can be drilled, protections can be studied and a throwing motion can be cleaned up until the practice field starts looking like a laboratory. Eventually, though, there comes a point when a quarterback needs something the coaching staff cannot recreate with cones and a whistle.

Former NFL MVP Rich Gannon believes Will Howard may be approaching exactly that stage. During a recent appearance discussing Pittsburgh's quarterback situation, Gannon identified several traits he already believes Howard possesses while arguing that the second-year passer's biggest remaining requirement is fairly simple: he needs to play.

“He’s got a lot of the qualities and tangibles you love with that position… I think he’s got plenty of arm talent… I think he’s got a good sense and feel for the protections… I think he makes quick decisions. He delivers the ball accurately. You know, I think he plays on time. And, you know, I think footwork is getting better. I know that’s something that Mike preaches and works on all the time… I think he’s a guy that just needs to play. I mean, he just needs reps,” Gannon said.

There is a little more weight behind that evaluation than an accomplished former quarterback simply watching Howard from afar. Gannon knows Mike McCarthy's quarterback coaching firsthand. McCarthy served as the Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach from 1995 through 1998, the same four seasons Gannon spent there before eventually joining the Oakland Raiders and winning NFL MVP in 2002. McCarthy worked with Gannon long before the quarterback reached his professional peak.

That history makes the footwork portion particularly interesting. Gannon is recognizing the fingerprints of a coach who once worked on his own game, and Howard has spent his first offseason under McCarthy being subjected to the same obsession with lower-body details. Pittsburgh's quarterback school repeatedly drills drops, timing and throwing platforms until the movement becomes automatic rather than another item the passer has to process once the ball is snapped.

Howard's first real NFL action finally gave Pittsburgh evidence of what that work looks like when defenders are allowed to finish the play. His preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers was encouraging, as he completed seven of nine attempts for 86 yards and directed an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive before halftime.

The next two exhibitions supplied a useful reminder that development rarely travels in a straight line. Howard threw two interceptions against the New York Jets, then finished the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills 9-of-15 for 69 yards, two touchdowns and another interception. His complete August stat line came to 26 completions on 39 attempts for 229 yards, two scores and three picks.

Those numbers are not clean enough to declare the project finished, but Gannon's evaluation helps separate the developmental questions. He is not looking at Howard and seeing a passer who needs an entirely new foundation. Arm talent, protection awareness, decisiveness, accuracy and timing are already on his list of positives. The area still developing is the lower-body mechanics, and Gannon believes that progress is happening. That leaves experience as the stubborn variable.

Howard's problem is that NFL repetitions are among the hardest developmental resources to manufacture. He missed every preseason game as a rookie in 2025 because of a hand injury, then entered a completely new offense once McCarthy arrived. This August gave him three exhibitions, including two starts, but Pittsburgh's regular-season quarterback hierarchy does not offer an obvious path toward another 100 meaningful throws.

Aaron Rodgers is the starter, while Mason Rudolph provides experienced insurance behind him. Pittsburgh also kept rookie Drew Allar, leaving four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster because the organization was unwilling to risk losing either of its young developmental options.

Practice can keep Howard progressing. McCarthy can continue sharpening the feet, protection work and operation that Gannon highlighted. What it cannot consistently reproduce is a pass rush finishing at full speed, a coverage changing after the snap or the requirement to immediately recover after an interception because the next possession is already coming.

That was precisely the value of Howard's uneven preseason. The Packers gave him success. The Jets gave him turnovers. Buffalo gave him both. Three different nights forced the young passer to solve problems without a coach standing behind the play ready to reset the drill.

Steelers Have A Difficult Way To Give Howard What He Needs

Gannon's final point creates an awkward developmental puzzle for Pittsburgh. If Howard mainly needs repetitions, the Steelers have to figure out how to continue his growth during a season in which the ideal outcome is Rodgers taking nearly every meaningful snap.

There are still valuable ways to develop without playing. Howard can handle scout-team work, study protections, continue McCarthy's quarterback-school routine and learn from two veterans who have seen considerably more NFL football. Those opportunities should make him a better player by December than he is entering September.

They cannot completely replace what happens when a defense is trying to ruin the play.

That may be the most encouraging part of Gannon's assessment anyway. He did not describe Howard like a lottery ticket whose arm strength has Pittsburgh hoping everything else eventually appears. He sees multiple pieces of functional NFL quarterback play already taking shape and one mechanical area continuing to improve.

The frustrating ingredient is the one McCarthy cannot simply coach into existence. Howard spent his rookie year waiting to play football. After finally getting three preseason games, Gannon believes the next stage of his development requires more of the same. For Pittsburgh, finding those reps without needing them may be the hardest quarterback drill of all.

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