Who Should I Start? Will Howard or Athan Kaliakmanis

Friday, July 24, 8:43 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Will Howard and Mason Rudolph could be battling for the "QB2 job and, potentially, a spot on the 53-man roster" in training camp, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. A sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Howard battled injury as a rookie and did not see any game action in his first professional season. Aaron Rodgers remains atop the Steelers' depth chart for 2026, leaving Howard unlikely to play a fantasy-relevant role as long as Rodgers remains healthy. The Steelers also drafted quarterback Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, leading to speculation that Howard's place on the Pittsburgh roster could be in major jeopardy. While Howard may still end up off the Steelers roster, it appears that he may have a legitimate chance to beat out both Allar and Rudolph for the team's backup job entering 2026. Rudolph has 34 games (19 starts) of NFL experience under his belt, but Howard may be the higher-upside option. In deeper fantasy leagues, Howard could still be worth stashing in case he establishes himself during the preseason.