May 17, 2026, 10:00 AM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard did not see the field as a rookie after coming off the board in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but with the team's quarterback uncertainty lasting more than two months into the new league year, there was an outside chance he could have been named the starter for the 2026 season. With the Steelers agreeing to terms with Aaron Rodgers on a one-year deal on Saturday night, Howard's chances of ever seeing the field as a starter, as well as his dynasty value, were dealt a serious blow. Howard will now look to earn the role of Rodgers' primary backup, but with Mason Rudolph still on the roster and the Steelers spending third-round capital on former five-star recruit Drew Allar in the 2026 NFL Draft, even that could be an uphill battle. It's entirely possible the Steelers could thin the room by sending one of Howard or Rudolph to a team in need of depth, but even in a best-case scenario, Howard remains in Pittsburgh for a 2027 positional battle against the higher-drafted, more toolsy Allar in a year that quarterback is expected to be a true strength of the NFL Draft. Howard is RotoBaller's dynasty QB49, and while he's unlikely to ever amount to a fantasy difference maker, he should be held through training camp wherever possible, with the upside case being that he wins the backup job behind a 42-year-old quarterback who has played a full 17-game slate only once in the last three seasons.--Patrick McGrath
Source: RotoBaller