Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to suggest quarterback Mason Rudolph has already earned a spot on the team’s roster. The Steelers could still keep four quarterbacks, but if Rudolph is on the team, that’s not great news for Will Howard.
Unless the Steelers do retain four signal-callers, there won’t be room for Howard on the roster. If that’s the case, perhaps the Miami Dolphins could be a suitor for the young quarterback.
This week, PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh named the Miami Dolphins a potential landing spot for Howard.
“Farabaugh thinks the Dolphins are a team to watch in the backup QB market,” wrote 93.7 The Fan’s Donny Football. “He said they could be interested in Mason Rudolph AND Will Howard.
“Miami’s current backup is Quinn Ewers.”
Howard made his NFL preseason debut last Thursday against the Green Bay Packers. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 86 yards.
Could Steelers Trade Will Howard?
There’s a couple important things to note about Farabaugh mentioning the Steelers possibly trading a quarterback to Miami.
First, he didn’t just mention Howard as a potential trade candidate. Farabaugh also threw out the idea the Dolphins could be interested in Rudolph.
Farabaugh also suggested it merely possible — not that either the Steelers or the Dolphins are in fact trying to work out a deal.
It makes sense Miami could pursue either Rudolph or Howard. The Dolphins don’t have any proven depth behind Malik Willis at quarterback. With only six NFL starts, Willis isn’t exactly experienced either.
Rudolph could steady that room with his nearly decade of experience in the league.
In Howard’s case, he could potentially offer more upside than Ewers or Miami’s other young quarterbacks — Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski.
That likely depends, though, on how Howard performs for the rest of this preseason. On Thursday, not everyone in the media was convinced Howard would give Miami an upgrade over Ewers.
The Dolphins picked Ewers at No. 231 overall in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Howard came off the board only a round earlier during the sixth round last spring.
Ewers played in four NFL games as a rookie in 2025. He posted a 1-2 record as a starter and threw three touchdowns with three interceptions while averaging 7.5 yards per attempt.
Howard has yet to play in the NFL regular season.
Howard Faces Big Test in Week 2 of NFL Preseason
Week 2 of the NFL preseason could go a long way in determining Howard’s fate with the Steelers this month.
Rudolph, along with Aaron Rodgers, will not play Friday night against the New York Jets. Howard will start with rookie Drew Allar expected to play most, if not all, the second half.
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy explained to reporters Wednesday he wants the team’s two young quarterbacks to receive as many repetitions as possible Friday night.
If Howard plays well, he could raise his trade value. Or, more than likely, the Steelers won’t want to give him up.
McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan have proposed to the media the team could keep four quarterbacks to begin the season. That possibility significantly grows if Howard turns in another great preseason performance Friday night.
Steelers Insider Floats Potential Trade Destination for QB Will Howard