It’s quarterback week here at Fifth Avenue Sports!

With the NFL season just days away from officially concluding, the Pittsburgh Steelers are entering another a pivotal offseason. In what has become almost an annual tradition now, the Steelers will embark on another search for a quarterback.

With several options to weigh, I wanted to try and get some thoughts down on each one. In this miniseries, I’ll try to argue for and against each of the options the Steelers have at quarterback heading into next season. I’ll probably contradict myself plenty of times during this, but what I’m trying to do is lay out a reasonable argument for both sides.

For the second edition, let’s discuss about a man who has a larger fan base than your typical sixth-round pick. Let’s talk about Will Howard.

The Argument For

If you’re looking for something new, usually you look at an outside hire. You look at someone you can bring in, try and set up for success, and see where it goes. That’s what the Steelers have done four of the last five years, whether that was via the draft, free agency, or trade.

But at a time where the organization is already changing up the way they do things, and with a weak draft class at quarterback and thin free agency list awaiting us in the offseason, isn’t it time we overhaul how we pick the quarterback as well? What if, this time, we take a look at an internal candidate?

There’s two legitimate scenarios that could see Howard help this team out long term.

First, he could shock all of us and turn into the guy for the Steelers during this season. Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick, and you’ll hear about that for the rest of time. Brock Purdy was the very last pick in the draft, and you’ll hear about that one for a while, as well. It’s not impossible for a guy taken in a late round, who was perhaps overlooked by other organizations, to find his way in this league.

One of the strengths the Steelers believe they have acquired by hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach is a better ability to develop quarterbacks. An offensive coach by trade, McCarthy is credited with helping get the best out of many quarterbacks he’s worked with, from Aaron Rodgers to Cooper Rush. He’s the kind of mind you want working with a young kid like Howard.

Howard doesn’t have any NFL experience to his name, but the 24-year-old knows a thing or two about big games. In his final year in college and first at The Ohio State, Howard led the conference with a 73% completion percentage, 4,010 passing yards, and 35 passing touchdowns en route to a National Championship for the Buckeyes.

He’s got good size, carrying a similar build to Ben Roethlisberger during his playing days. He’s got a good arm, too. There’s reason to convince yourself maybe, just maybe, he’s that diamond in the rough.

On the other hand, even if he falls flat on his face here he can still help this franchise. If Howard struggles and the losses keep piling up, he becomes a valuable tank commander, leading Pittsburgh to a high pick in a 2027 draft class that looks much more favorable to a quarterback-needy team. In that scenario, Howard can also just play with little pressure, and maybe that helps him develop more and push for a job in 2027.

This is a great season to let some of those growing pains happen naturally. There’s a coaching staff here that has a much better reputation in developing quarterbacks and one geared more towards production on offense. If you can go out and get a receiver to pair with DK Metcalf, why not at least give Howard a shot?

The Argument Against

Since turning pro and signing his rookie deal with the Steelers, Howard has never taken a single snap of organized football.

Howard suffered fractured a bone in his hand during training camp, which sidelined him for all of preseason. Even if those defenses were partially filled with guys not making the roster, it still was a prime chance for him to at least get a look at NFL defenses other than his own.

Late in the season, the Steelers had a chance to make their Week 18 game completely meaningless. On the road in Cleveland the week before, a win against the lowly Browns would have secured the division win and a playoff spot for the Steelers.

Had that happened, the Steelers could have rested starters like Rodgers, and given Howard his first NFL start in a game with virtually no pressure. Instead, they lost, forcing that dramatic Week 18 win over Baltimore. None of that is necessarily his fault; injuries happen, and he played no part in dropping that Week 17 game. But he has absolutely no experience in the NFL.

Now, tossing a quarterback into a job with no NFL experience isn’t exactly a foreign concept. But, it is an idea almost exclusively reserved for the high end picks in any given draft. Howard, taken 185th overall, doesn’t fit that mold.

A lot of fans disagree with owner Art Rooney II, who has a distain for the word “rebuild” and said he wasn’t sure “why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend.” But even if you do differ from his perspective, it’s just hard to justify saying a sixth-round pick as your plan heading into next season.

For one, it’s a hard sell to some of the older, veteran players on this team. It makes seeking additional reinforcements from free agency, whether they are seen as one-year rentals or long-term pieces, harder to attract as well.

It’s also probably not the best for Howard’s own development. With his injuries and missed time, he’s essentially starting his redshirt rookie year in 2026. He’s had no time to ramp up into NFL action and no experience facing anyone outside of practice. It’s like handing your kid the keys before he’s even gotten his driver’s license.

Perhaps if you ease him into the workload, have him start the year as the backup, and see how things go. But you’re putting a lot on the shoulders of a kid who fell all the way to the sixth round in last year’s draft. I just don’t know if that’s a good bet to make.