Amid growing pressure after a stretch of inconsistent performances, the Pittsburgh Steelers have made a bold and decisive move, officially adding rookie quarterback Will Howard – the former Offensive MVP of the College Football Playoff champion
– to the active roster for the 2025 season. It marks Howard’s first activation of the year, signaling a pivotal step in his development and a potential turning point for the Steelers’ offense.
Head coach Mike Tomlin spoke with conviction and determination during Wednesday’s press conference:
“This isn’t just a roster change,” Tomlin declared. “This is our response to all the pressure. Pittsburgh doesn’t back down – we respond with action. Will has worked relentlessly, and he’s earned the chance to prove himself. Sometimes, all it takes is one man willing to ignite at the right moment, and an entire team can be transformed.”
According to team officials, Will Howard will serve as the emergency quarterback for the Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, backing up Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. Though he hasn’t played a snap this season, Howard has impressed the coaching staff with his strong arm, sharp field awareness, and leadership presence – traits that Tomlin believes could spark new energy in Pittsburgh’s offense.
Alongside Howard’s activation, the Steelers have signed cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to the practice squad and released running back Trey Sermon and safety Darrick Forrest, refining their roster as the season enters its critical stretch.
“We’re not just talking about the future – we’re building it right now,” Tomlin emphasized.
While skepticism continues to surround the team, Pittsburgh once again chooses to respond in the only way it knows how – not with words, but with bold decisions. And if
One most welcome surprise for the Cincinnati Bengals in recent weeks has been the transformation of their running game. Unfortunately, the bye week, a second-time opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a key injury could derail all that prior momentum.
Not that the Steelers have a stupendous defense, but if Pittsburgh can score at will like many Bengals opponents have this season, ageless wonder Joe Flacco will be forced to air it out a lot and render Cincinnati’s offense one-dimensional.
To help Flacco avoid a quadragenarian shootout versus Aaron Rodgers, the Bengals need to play keep-away and lean on the run. Can they count on a rookie sixth-round pick to help the cause?
Former Texas Tech tailback Tahj Brooks slid all the way to the 193rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bengals happily scooped up the productive ball-carrier then, as a deep running back class was part of the reason for Brooks’ tumble down the board.
Any hopes Brooks had of substantial playing time early on were dashed when Cincinnati could run the ball whatsoever. Chase Brown was averaging around two yards per carry. Brooks has only managed six carries for 18 yards in his young career thus far.
But aging vet Samaje Perine and Brown suddenly became a phenomenal 1-2 punch of late. It’s a bummer that Perine will be out for Week 11 with an ankle injury, as the team confirmed on Friday.
Perine is a savvy back who still has more explosiveness than you’d think at 30 years old. The good news is, the Bengals’ disreputable offensive line has rallied from early adversity to pave lots of running lanes, which should open things up for Brown against Pittsburgh.
When the Steelers and Bengals met in Week 7, Brown had 108 yards on only 11 carries. The question is, does Brooks have the vision and conviction to hit the hole without hesitating, and produce like a solid RB2?
That much is unclear. What is clear is that Brooks should have the chance to prove himself. Maybe Zac Taylor won’t trust him with a lot of reps, but Brown’s health should take priority.
Plus, Brooks did have quite a run at the end of his college days, rushing for over 1500 yards in each of his last two seasons with 27 touchdowns on the ground in that span.
It’d just be nice to see a Cincinnati rookie do well. Watching Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter try to play NFL linebacker has been a disaster and a big reason why the defense is so bad. Maybe Brooks will provide hope that this latest underwhelming draft class can turn into something salvageable and respectable for the Duke Tobin-led scouting department.
I’ll play you out with some Brooks Texas Tech highlights rather than any more depressing Bengals personnel fodder.