Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed on Monday that rookie quarterback Will Howard is moving in the right direction toward full participation.
“He’s had some positive reviews, meeting with the hand specialist,” Tomlin said of Howard. “We’ve increased his level of activity. We’ve altered the brace that you mentioned. And so, he’s moving in the right direction in terms of full participation very soon.”
Howard suffered a broken right pinky finger during a training camp practice on Aug. 5. He suffered the injury on a quarterback/center exchange. He called it a “freak accident.”
“It sucks. Every ounce of me wants to be out there playing and I’m just kind of sitting here doing nothing. It kills me,” Howard said at St. Vincent College on Aug. 12.
“It was during a team run period. I took the snap and it felt like I jammed my finger real bad. I played the next two plays, I threw the ball with it. It didn’t feel right. I couldn’t really grab the ball, so I knew something was messed up here. It didn’t feel right. I normally can tolerate pain pretty well, but I literally could not grip a football.”
Howard was diagnosed with a fractured small bone in his hand. Surgery was not required.
The Steelers drafted the Ohio State product in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He passed for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Ryan Day’s Buckeyes, who won the College Football Playoff national title.
Howard, who had been taking reps ahead of Skylar Thompson before the injury, could be in danger of losing his No. 3 QB spot due to a spectacular preseason by Thompson.
Thompson took advantage of the additional reps, finishing the preseason as the NFL’s best passer. Over three games, he completed 41 of 56 passes (73.2%) for 498 yards (8.89 yards per attempt), four touchdowns, one interception, and a league-best 116.5 passer rating.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Gives Encouraging Update on Will Howard
