The Pittsburgh Steelers walked into training camp with a neat, tidy plan. Three quarterbacks. Russell Wilson, the savvy veteran. Justin Fields, the athletic project. Kyle Allen, the dependable insurance policy. It was a clean room, a controlled environment. Then Will Howard showed up and detonated the whole blueprint.
The undrafted rookie out of Ohio State didn't just look competent in the preseason - he looked like a starting-caliber quarterback. He carved up defenses, threw darts into tight windows, and moved with the kind of urgency that makes defensive coordinators sweat. Suddenly, the Steelers aren't managing a three-man room. They're sitting on four quarterbacks who could argue for a spot on an NFL 53-man roster. And Charlie Batch, the former Steelers backup turned sharp-tongued analyst, is sounding the alarm. He revealed exactly why Pittsburgh might not be able to tuck Howard safely onto the practice squad. And his reasoning is brutal.
The Quarterback Room Is Already a Tightrope Walk
Batch didn't sugarcoat the roster mathematics during his latest breakdown, and he made it clear that Howard's strong summer has created a headache the front office never anticipated. Sure, Howard is practice-squad eligible. That's not the problem. The problem is that he looked way too good to slip through the cracks.
"Will Howard didn't play like a camp arm," Batch said. "He played like a guy who watched every rep in film study, then trusted his eyes on the field. That decisiveness is what scares me. You can't hide that."
The Steelers have to make a final cut decision by August 27, and every snap Howard took this preseason raises his stock. He showed poise under pressure and an ability to deliver the football with anticipation - not just arm strength. That's a dangerous combination for a team hoping to stash him quietly. Batch noted that the coaching staff has done nothing to slow his momentum, letting him air it out against second and third-team defenders. And that exposure is exactly what puts Pittsburgh in a bind.
📊 Howard completed over 68% of his passes this preseason while averaging over 9 yards per attempt - That efficiency isn't a fluke; it's a red flag to every other front office in the league.
The front office has to weigh whether the reward of keeping four quarterbacks is worth the cost of losing a depth player at another position. A young cornerback. A developmental receiver. That's the price of protection. And with a Super Bowl window cracked open, every roster spot feels like gold.
Why the Waiver Wire Is Howard’s Real Threat
Here's where Batch's warning cuts deepest. Practice squad rules are simple. If a player isn't on the 53-man roster, he goes to waivers before you can bring him back. And Howard's name recognition? It's dangerous.
Howard just led Ohio State to a national championship in January. That game was watched by millions. Every general manager in the league has a scouting report on him. He's not some anonymous undrafted free agent who might get lost in the shuffle. He's a proven winner with legitimate size and arm talent. Batch says that combination spells trouble.
"All it takes is one desperate team with a thin quarterback room," Batch said. "You think the Giants won't claim him? The Raiders? Wait until the Rams take a look at their backup situation. Howard won't last five minutes on the wire."
The math is brutal. Thirty-one other teams get a chance to snatch him before the Steelers can ink him to the practice squad. Pittsburgh wouldn't even get the right to match an offer. He's gone. Just like that. The front office would be left staring at a waiver wire notification and hoping someone else blinked first.
