Two films I think about most when assessing Ron Howard being non-visionary.
A Beautiful Mind: If you haven't seen it, the first half requires very special handling. It's essentially a magic trick, and you can't fumble it or the entire project is a failure. Eventually the film becomes very standard biopic fare, but the way Howard crafts that opening shows he has more than a workmanlike ability.
EdTV: I watched this on DVD and it contained a lot of deleted scenes that hinted at a very different movie. It left me with a new insight about Howard because he could have included all of the other material, none of which were wisely cut but which point to a much different film. The script was more of a drama and the emotional scenes gave it a balance of laughter and heart that might've put it closer to Parenthood. (A great scene I still remember is Ed's father passes away and the family asks Ed to stay away at the funeral because they don't want all the cameras around. We watch Ed trapped by his own celebrity, shut out by his relatives, and it's heartfelt without being the least bit mawkish.) I don't know if it was wise to cut it all out, but it shows that he's not a filmmaker tied too closely to what is on the page.
I think Howard brings the style he feels the story needs. So while Ransom doesn't cover any new ground it shows Howard understands more than just comedy.
I haven't looked at my options for Howard yet, but I'm considering a deeper dive, including his debut Grand Theft Auto and perhaps re-watches of Ransom and The Paper. I might even watch Inferno after all.