Who Should I Start? Sam Howell or Will Howard

Tuesday, September 2, 9:50 PM

Quarterback Sam Howell is likely to serve as the Philadelphia Eagles' QB2 behind Jalen Hurts in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Eagles acquired Howell from the Minnesota Vikings in late August after projected backup quarterback Tanner McKee (thumb) went down with a fractured thumb. McKee is not expected to be ready for Week 1, but he is expected to re-take Philadelphia's QB2 role when fully healthy. If pressed into action, Howell has 18 games of starting experience in the NFL. He led the NFL in pass attempts (612) and interceptions (21) in 17 games for the Washington Commanders in 2023.

Monday, September 1, 11:37 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (hand) remains in line to operate as the team's No. 3 quarterback once he's healthy enough to play. For now, Howard will miss the first four games of the regular season after being placed on injured reserve. However, once Pittsburgh activates him, he should replace Skylar Thompson as the third-string quarterback behind veterans Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. Howard had an impressive senior season at Ohio State as he completed 73 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while leading the Buckeyes to a national title. Howard didn't get into a preseason game, so Pittsburgh would truly need to have a quarterback emergency for the rookie to play a snap this season. However, plenty of teams have been forced to play or even start their third-string quarterback before, so we can't rule out Howard getting some reps when he's eventually activated in Week 5 or later.