Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Despite being in competition for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback spot, veteran Mason Rudolph has been an open book for rookie Will Howard. He’s not giving the former Ohio State signal-caller the same treatment that he received from Ben Roethlisberger back in 2018.
“He’s been awesome,” Howard said. “I just think the vibe in the quarterback room is really cool. Super good dude, super welcoming. Meeting Mason, I knew we’d hit it off, and he’s a great dude, man. He’s helped me a lot and look forward to continuing to work with him.”
Howard is getting acclimated to the NFL with the first few days of OTAs in the books. However, he revealed it hasn’t gone as smoothly as he would have liked.
“The first day was a work in progress,” Howard said. “I didn’t feel great about my first day, just coming off the field, but it was a good learning experience for me.”
The 23-year-old is quickly learning the difference in talent and speed at the next level, but he isn’t letting his rough start get to him.
“I wasn’t expecting to be perfect on my first day,” Howard said. “You gotta be able to roll with the punches and know that you’re going to make mistakes, especially being a rookie. It’s how you learn from it, come back from it, and don’t get affected by that. The second I mess up and then get it my head and shut down, that’s when problems happen.”
Even if Howard continues to make strides, Pittsburgh isn’t planning to rush him into the starting lineup, though. That will set him up for the most success at the next level.
All he can do is focus on getting better each day, and he’s already seen better results.
“Day one, I just really wasn’t comfortable yet, didn’t really know where my feet were, was a little off timing,” Howard said. “Then day two and three, I think I’ve been a lot better.”
In 2024, Howard threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and rushed for 226 yards and seven more scores while leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to a College Football National Championship.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Howard hasn’t had an ideal start to his NFL career as a sixth-round pick (No. 185). But the good news is, it’s just the beginning stages of the offseason program. It’s also beneficial that he has a vested veteran like Mason Rudolph to lean on.
Alan Saunders and Aaron Becker provided reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mason Rudolph Has Welcomed Will Howard with Open Arms: ‘He’s Been Awesome’
