The Pittsburgh Steelers are hours away from their preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. It’s a game that will feature many storylines, with plenty of position and roster battles to pay attention to. Including one at the quarterback position, involving Will Howard and Mason Rudolph.
For much of the offseason, Will Howard was seen as someone capable of stepping into the backup role, as long as he didn’t fall apart during preseason and training camp. But he wasn’t handed the backup job going into camp, something Rudolph still holds onto today. To Charlie Batch, Howard has some ground to make up.
“As it stands right now, the odd man out, I would have to say, probably Will Howard up until this point. And he’s having a strong camp. I just don’t think that he’s done enough to really oversee Mason Rudolph in this particular manner,” Batch said Monday on his Snap Count podcast. “The next guy has to do something, really in practice, that’s gonna woo over the coaches. And I don’t think he’s [Howard] done that up until this point.”
Howard has had some nice moments in camp, but there have been some struggles as well. Mark Kaboly mentioned recently that Howard hasn’t “flashed” as much as expected. Our Alex Kozora has also noticed Howard force a throw or two during practice.
Of course, these are mistakes that young, sixth-round picks are going to make. In Howard’s case, he’s a lot like a rookie. While he got to be around the building and see how an NFL season unfolds last year, he still hasn’t played in a game since the 2024 college season. The Steelers have simply got to see him play. Something Batch understands, and he isn’t willing to write Howard off just yet.
“I think it’s unfair for me to turn around and say he would be cut, even though he’s the odd man,” Batch said. “I just want to see him in games.”
Howard is very excited for Thursday’s affair, as he should be. It’s an excellent opportunity for him. He’s going to get a lot of run during this preseason slate, and he badly needs to put together a good stretch of play.
The questions about his lack of experience, as well as the coaching staff’s comfort level with Rudolph’s experience, aren’t going to go anywhere. What Howard can control is how he performs come Thursday night. If he struggles out of the gate, it may only pad Rudolph’s lead on the depth chart. But if Howard can show off a bit the next couple of weeks, he’ll really force himself into the decision.
The door is still ajar for Howard. He’s got lots of tools to work with, many of which will excite Mike McCarthy. But for now, Batch thinks he has some ground to make up.