Jon Gruden floats Aaron Rodgers being benched for Will Howard amid the Steelers' offensive struggles

The Pittsburgh Steelers first selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round of the draft before they signed veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers in June. This comes after Howard guided the Ohio State Buckeyes to a record College Football Playoff performance and a national championship.

Although Howard was unlikely to start for the Steelers in his rookie campaign, he was named the team's third-string passer on the depth chart behind Rodgers and Mason Rudolph to start the season.

Will Howard was recently activated to Pittsburgh's roster after returning from injured reserve, where he had been placed due to a pre-season injury. And he is already being considered a potential starter for the Steelers by former NFL coach Jon Gruden.

Barstool Sports star Gruden confidently predicted that Howard would soon rise to prominence in the NFL during Thursday's episode of the "93.7 The Fan."

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“I’ll be surprised if Will Howard is on the bench much longer. He’s got everything you want in a quarterback,” Gruden said. “I’ll be shocked if Will Howard isn’t a good NFL quarterback.”

Gruden hasn't ever held back while praising Howard, even though teams didn't select the quarterback until late in the draft.

It's easy to have doubts about the superstar potential of a quarterback selected in the sixth round of the draft, but given Howard's track record of success in college. The fact that he's playing behind the legendary Aaron Rodgers, the rookie might prove to be as good as Gruden thinks.

However, Howard is unlikely to get an opportunity to prove himself in the Steelers' offense this season for obvious reasons, despite the team's recent offensive struggles.

Rodgers made it clear before the season that this would likely be his final year in the NFL. If the veteran quarterback decides to retire at the end of the campaign, Howard may get the chance to compete for the starting job next season. However, the chances of him starting while Rodgers is still on the roster, and healthy. are virtually nonexistent.

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Will Howard admits he's already learning from Aaron Rodgers

Will Howard addressed the media on Thursday after being activated back into the Pittsburgh Steelers' 53-man roster. He disclosed that nearly every piece of advice and insight that Aaron Rodgers gives him is safely stored in a Word document on his computer.

"I literally have like a Word document of just like nuggets that I get from Aaron every day. If there’s something that he tells me or something he says in meetings, I’ll just try to write it down," Howard said. "Just have a little bank of the things that I’m learning."

The rookie's decision to document all he learns from Rodgers, a 20-year NFL veteran and arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks the league has ever seen, is the right one since the 41-year-old star is seen as an ideal mentor and leader.

Although Howard is unlikely to play this season, the Steelers will be able to use him as an emergency third quarterback going forward, possibly as early as the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11. Additionally, if he continues to learn from Rodgers both on and off the field, his chances of thriving in the NFL will definitely increase.

Edited by nagpaltusharn25