Head coach Mike McCarthy has been excited about the idea of developing two young quarterbacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While Drew Allar was their QB pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Will Howard is a player who has been with them since last season. Both have earned a lot of praise from analysts due to the talent they possess and their performance in college, but if you ask Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, he’ll tell you that one of them has particularly exceeded expectations in the OTAs.

“He’s [Will Howard] doing everything and more that we can ask of him. He is exceeding expectations. We couldn’t be happier with where he is at,” Arth said from the Steelers OTAs.

The 2026 season carries significant weight for Howard as he transitions from a rookie quarterback whose first year was derailed by injuries into a competition for the backup role behind four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. And the competition itself is not an easy one.

McCarthy has reiterated multiple times that he wants four quarterbacks on the depth chart. With Rodgers, Howard, Mason Rudolph, and Allar, he now has exactly what he wanted. Which is why, even though Howard has been turning heads during OTAs, the Steelers are still expecting a broader evaluation during training camp and eventually the preseason.

“He’s performed well here in OTAs up to this point, but once we get to training camp and into preseason, I think that’s where the true evaluation will start to take place,” Arth added.

A former sixth-round pick out of Ohio State, Howard missed the preseason after suffering a thumb/hand injury last offseason, which landed him on injured reserve until mid-November 2025. And even after he was activated from injured reserve, Howard never took a professional offensive snap during the regular season.

That makes Howard’s development just as important as Allar’s heading into the season. While many expect Howard to serve as Rodgers’ backup in 2026, he will still have to compete with Allar throughout the offseason. According to Arth, the two have gotten along well, but are ‘ultra competitors.’

“I’m very excited to see how that continues to play out as we get into training camp. As we get into the preseason,” Arth added. “How the two of them bring the best out in each other, because I think ultimately that’s what our goal is, is to bring the best out in each other. When you are looking at it from a competitive standpoint, you always respect the person you are competing with because they always bring out the best in you.”

So far, Howard has managed to impress his coaches, Rodgers, and even former Steelers legends. Howard taking the next step in his second season is exactly what many around the organization expect. And to his credit, the 24-year-old Ohio State product already made his stance clear on how he planned to approach the 2026 season, even before Rodgers had signed his deal to return for one final season.

“Hey, I’m here, man. I don’t know what Aaron’s going to do. If he wants to come back, I’d be more than happy to, you know, spend another year learning. But if he doesn’t, I’m ready,” Howard said when asked about starting for the Steelers.

For now, Aaron Rodgers remains the Steelers’ starting quarterback as he enters what is expected to be the final season of his NFL career. But it’s the backup role that Pittsburgh still needs to evaluate. Because in a hypothetical scenario where Rodgers regresses this season, given his age, the Steelers will want the best possible option under center.

The way things are currently unfolding, Rodgers has returned for OTAs, but the 42-year-old is still working through challenges when it comes to building chemistry with his playmakers.

Aaron Rodgers kicks off his offseason in a similar manner

On paper, Aaron Rodgers showing up for the Steelers’ OTAs might surprise some people. But in reality, it’s exactly what Pittsburgh would have preferred from the beginning. After all, when Rodgers signed his one-year deal in June 2025, the 42-year-old quarterback had limited time to build chemistry with his receivers after missing the entire OTA period last offseason.

This offseason, however, has been different. Rodgers is back on the field weeks before training camp begins. But does that mean he has already found a rhythm with his receivers during OTAs? Apparently not. According to Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo, the process remains a work in progress for Rodgers and the receiving corps.

“I’m just going to be very generic with you, and I will just say Aaron Rodgers and his receivers are still working to get on the same page,” the insider said on 93.7 The Fan’s The Fan Morning Show.

Rodgers is already familiar with DK Metcalf after the two played together during the 2025 season. Even then, the quarterback and receiver were not always in sync throughout last year’s offseason program. This time, the Steelers have added star receiver Michael Pittman Jr. while also drafting Germie Bernard in the second round of the draft.

And when you look back at Rodgers’ two-decade NFL career, it becomes clear that he has never been afraid to challenge or call out teammates when necessary.

If things are not clicking with his receivers, he is unlikely to stay quiet about it. So the fact that Fittipaldo reports the chemistry between Rodgers and his pass catchers is still developing only highlights how important it will be for Pittsburgh’s passing game to eventually get everything working together.