Is Howard hand fully healed?

When Rodgers gets hurt, which will happen sooner or later this season ( Tomlin is not benching him by design ) the Steelers will have a chance to see if they should draft a quarterback high by playing and starting Howard in the 2025 season.

Howard closed his college career extra strong, shining in the playoffs. He is as NFL ready as any rookie QB .

Over his four playoff games, Howard completed 75.2% of his throws (82 of 109) for 1,150 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions

He has been endorsed by Ben and Gruden. Also head coach Ryan Day who may be / is the next great college head coach.

https://247sports.com/college/ohio-...y-proud-of-quarterback-will-howard-249250081/


Is he the next franchise QB? Well -- he from Pennsylvania a state who has produced seve NFL Hall of fame QB's. It almost time to find out if he can be or not.

If he's not we have the follow draft picks in 2026. There is always hope.




Steelers projected 2026 NFL Draft picks

• First-round pick
• Second-round pick
• Third-round pick (via Dallas)
• Third-round pick
• Third-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Fourth-round pick
• Fourth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Fifth-round pick
• Fifth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Sixth-round pick
• Sixth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
• Seventh-round pick

 

I'd be shocked Rodgers plays all 17 but I could never see Tomlin putting in Howard. IMO it would be the right thing to do for the future but say Rodgers goes down in week 11-12 and we are in the hunt for a Playoff spot, I sure the hell would want Mason in there. Now situation reversed and we suck by week 11-12 I hope they would try Howard. Not sure they would.

I'm hoping AR last the whole 17 and keeps us in the hunt. I don't trust the Steeler brain trust to use Howard at all this season unless AR and MR go down.

 

The only way Howard starts any games this season is injuries to Rodgers, Rudolph and Thompson.

 

With Najee out for the year and Wilson benched, our comp picks aren't as rosy now.

 

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And whoever they sign to replace the injured QB's

 

Howard won't start this year and neither will Thompson or Woodside.

However, Howard needs to get off IR and get back on the practice field.

 

You really think Howard will be the next man up if Rodgers gets injured

 

They weren't going to get much from Najee anyway maybe a late round pick.

 

That is why the saying goes: Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

 

Nobody was counting on that comp pick it was more for Moore, Fields and maybe Wilson.

 

Is Howards still on IR? Is Thompson still on the 53 man roster?

 

Funny, after the Steelers played the Jets, I was thinking Fields was going to play himself into a 3rd round Comp Pick. The next week he didn't face the Steelers Defense, and that dream of a 3rd died.

Wilson is getting benched. so no early comp for him either.

 

I predict Rodgers will not play 17 games. In fact I put the over and under of games started for him at 13. The question is what happens then. Maybe Rudolph will play before Howard, but that would waste precious evaluation time before the 2026 draft if Howard never starts in 2025.

We know how average Rudolph's play is. We don't know Howard's upside in the NFL. I say we find out before the draft.

 

Fields was never going to get them a 3rd round pick he's projected to give the Steelers a 4th, Wilson was projected as a 5th.

 

We know Rudolph can win games in this league.

 

His career record is 9-9-1 that is what you want your backup to do, tread water until the starter returns.

 

When this isn't happening.......

 

There has been teams who knew season was down the drain and put in their hopefully future QB. I just can't see the Steelers thinking that way. Tomlin would put in who he felt would his best guy to get a W.

 

Only way Howard gets in is if things drastically fail and I'd imagine they'd try to trade for a veteran such as a Jameis Winston before putting Howard in. He's a long term option as a backup/3rd stringer nonetheless.

 

To state he is/was ready as any rookie QB is a far stretch, he was drafted in the 6th round for a reason. If he was put in for any reason could he have a rookie year like ben? Could certainly, but that supporting group around rookie Ben, in every department was far superior to the group playing now. It's one thing giving a rook a chance, quite another sending him into the field of battle with the crap working around him.

 

The field would have to implode like in Batman for Howard to see the field in 2025.

 

Mason is #2 on the depth chart as he should be

Howard is too far behind to even make it to #3

 

Howard will be #3 coming out of the bye.

Remember, I’m the one that said they need to get Holcomb involved and bring up Sermon.

 

I agree...but Thompson is on IR, so he's 1/3 of the way there. Although he can be called back I think.

 

Actually he's 9 -8 -1, and as a Steeler he's 8 - 4 -1.