The Steelers may not be done tinkering at quarterback.
After carrying four passers on the 53-man roster, Pittsburgh is signaling a real shift in how it approaches the position. The organization finally looks willing to pour resources into football’s most important spot, and the expectation is that both Will Howard and Drew Allar should still be around next year, competing for meaningful roles.
But Howard’s shaky preseason showing has left the door open for another move, and the latest possibility is Joe Milton III.
Milton became available when the Dallas Cowboys cut him recently, and that gives Pittsburgh a fresh free-agent option to consider. The appeal is obvious: even if Milton never fully clicks, his talent jumps off the page in a way Howard’s does not. His arm strength and athleticism stood out coming out of college, even if he was still very raw as a prospect.
That’s why the Steelers should at least be willing to explore whether Milton makes more sense than Howard. Howard’s cheap contract and remaining rookie deal give him value, sure, but that also means Pittsburgh could be tied to a player who may settle in as nothing more than a career backup. If the team believes another quarterback gives it a better chance to build out the room, it has to consider that path.
Milton’s NFL journey has not exactly taken off. He has gone from the Patriots to the Cowboys without finding his footing, but there’s still a case for betting on the traits that made him intriguing in the first place. And with Mike McCarthy as the coach working with him, Pittsburgh could reasonably wonder whether a change of scenery would finally unlock something.
Age works against Milton a bit, too. He is a year and a half older than Howard, and the Steelers want to get younger.
Even so, that shouldn’t automatically knock him out of the conversation. Pittsburgh is still looking for the best possible pieces as it rebuilds its quarterback group, and Milton belongs in that discussion.
For now, cutting bait with Howard does not appear to be at the top of the Steelers’ list. But Milton’s availability should force the team to keep evaluating the room. He has more NFL experience than Howard, neither has started a game going into this season, and if Pittsburgh had to choose one to start right now, Milton would be the pick.
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Pickens time in Pittsburgh had plenty of talent but also enough friction to make the choice easier to understand in hindsight. The fines and on-field incidents that followed him through his Steelers tenure were part of the backdrop, and Tomlins comments made clear those issues mattered when the team weighed what it wanted next at the position. The larger question now is how far Pittsburgh was willing to go to draw that line, and what it says about the standard the front office wants to keep enforcing. [Read more 🡒]