Preseason football typically isn’t the most riveting sporting event. But with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, it could be must-watch action due to large part to quarterback Will Howard.
The signal-caller missed the preseason of his rookie campaign because of injury. He then didn’t play at all in the 2025 regular season.
So, the 2026 exhibition campaign will be his NFL debut. The Steelers also want to badly see what Howard can do in a game because they’ve liked what he’s done in practice.
That’s what Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported Monday when he spoke about Howard on 102.5 WDVE.
“They are so eager to see him in a game because, what they see — obviously in practice, and take it with a grain of salt because it’s practice — they really like,” said Dulac, via Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle. You can see the comfort factor with him …
“I don’t think there’s any question what you see from Will Howard has them really eager to finally get to see him in a game.”
The last game Howard played in was the national championship in college. He led Ohio State to a national title with a 34-23 victory against Notre Dame. Howard completed 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
During his senior season at Ohio State, Howard posted a 73% completion percentage, 4,010 passing yards and 35 touchdowns with only 10 picks.
Steelers Itching to See Will Howard in NFL Preseason
GettyThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported the Pittsburgh Steelers really like how quarterback Will Howard has practiced.
The Steelers have said positive things about Howard’s development throughout the offseason. So, it’s not at all surprising they are looking forward to seeing him finally in a game setting at the professional level.
An early August hand injury robbed him of preseason action a year ago. Howard returned at about the midway point of the 2025 campaign. He served as the team’s emergency QB3 but didn’t see any game snaps.
How Howard performs in the preseason could be crucial. In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers grabbed Drew Allar in the third round. That was three rounds before they picked Howard in the 2025 draft.
At the time, the Steelers only had one other signal-caller in Mason Rudolph. But Aaron Rodgers returned in May, which obviously gave the team four quarterbacks.
That’s one too many in the minds of a lot of analysts. That’s why what Howard does in the preseason could be very important. It’s possible he will be fighting for a roster spot in all three exhibition contests.
The Steelers will open the preseason on Thursday, August 13 against the Green Bay Packers.
Will the Steelers Keep Four Quarterbacks?
GettyThe Pittsburgh Steelers have a crucial quarterback decision to make before the start of the 2026 NFL regular season.
It’s not typical for NFL teams to keep four quarterbacks on the active roster. Rodgers will obviously be on the team. As a Day 2 rookie, Allar is guaranteed to make the roster too.
That could leave Howard battling Rudolph for the other spot.
But it’s also possible the Steelers break away from the norm and retain a fourth signal-caller. On July 28, Steelers general manager Omar Khan didn’t rule out the team keeping four quarterbacks.
“Is it realistic? Is it doable? I mean, sure it is,” Khan said, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Khan added that the team will have a better idea if that’s something the coaching staff wants to do in a few weeks. How Howard performs in the preseason will very likely greatly impact that decision.
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