Cam Heyward on Will Howard

Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward came on the show during NFL Draft week, and Rich turned the conversation toward the Pittsburgh quarterback room and the 21st overall pick.

The Steelers sit at 21 with obvious questions at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers' status for next season is still unresolved, and every fan in Pittsburgh wants to know whether the team is going to spend its first-round pick on a passer like Alabama's Ty Simpson or build the room another way. Heyward has Will Howard, the Ohio State national champion, as a guest on his own podcast draft party the following Thursday, and Rich pressed him for an honest read on Howard's readiness.

Heyward started with Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has been a big Will Howard fan for a while, he said, and watched Howard's growth this season from afar. Heyward respects that. Then he got to his own read on the quarterback.

Will Howard has always competed. Howard, Heyward said, has always had the chips stacked against him, and the current uncertainty in Pittsburgh isn't new territory for him. If the Steelers end up in a spot where Howard is playing real snaps, Heyward said he feels confident in the guy. Howard will compete. Howard will take reps.

The more interesting piece of Heyward's answer was how he framed the 21st pick. If you're the Steelers, he said, why not insulate whoever ends up at quarterback. Build out the roster. Give the starter, whoever that is, real weapons. That way the quarterback inherits pieces instead of inheriting a problem.

Heyward also pulled back the curtain on what Howard looked like from the opposite sideline during joint practices. During Ohio State's season, Howard was out for a stretch, but when he came back, Heyward and the Steelers defense faced him in practice settings. Mike Tomlin, Heyward said, loves bringing in mobile quarterbacks who pose a challenge. Howard was exactly that. He was giddy for the opportunity. He was completing passes. He was getting better every week.

On the supporting cast question, Heyward name-checked DK Metcalf and Pat, and added that the addition of Michael Pittman gives Howard a more secure landing pad if and when he takes over the starting job. Pittsburgh doesn't have the deepest receiver room in the league, but the pieces Heyward described point toward a team that wants to give the next quarterback, rookie or veteran, a chance.

The takeaway for Steelers fans is straightforward. Heyward isn't pitching Howard as the next franchise quarterback. He's telling the fan base that Howard is ready to compete, that the locker room trusts him, and that the front office should be spending every pick between now and opening day on the infrastructure around the position, not just the position itself.

Rich closed out the segment acknowledging how rare live reps are in the modern NFL, especially for backup quarterbacks. In that environment, a teammate's honest scouting report is worth more than most film grades. Heyward gave a clean one.