Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard returned to practice on Wednesday, but remains on the reserve/injured, designated for returrn list, the team announced.
The Steelers have a 21-day window to either activate Howard or he remains on the reserve/injured list for the remainder of the season.
Howard has been sidelined with a broken pinky finger since early in training camp. He was placed on IR on Aug. 28.
The Steelers could have placed Howard on the injured reserve list before the final cut-down date, but that would have either had to end his 2025 season before it ever got started, or use one of the team’s eight slots to return a player from the injured reserve list.
The rookie has been recovering since and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth even revealed that Howard has progressed well.
“Will has handled the injury as a professional, just as we would expect him to. Really appreciative of our athletic training staff, our strength and conditioning staff. They’ve done a fantastic job working with Will,” Arth said. “I think he’s in great shape right now. He’s been in as good a shape as he’s been since he’s been a Pittsburgh Steeler.”
The Steelers released quarterback Logan Woodside from their practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday.
It’s likely that one of Howard or Skylar Thompson will return this week. Third-string reps have been very sporadic for the Steelers through the early part of the season, though with a stretch of 11 games in 11 weeks coming up, the team may being to give 41-year-old starter Aaron Rodgers some rest on practice days.
Woodside was first added to the Pittsburgh roster mid-training camp, after Howard’s injury. He was among the team’s final cuts in August.
A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Howard played college football at Kansas State before transferring to Ohio State in 2024, when he threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while leading the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff National Championship.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Get Good News on Rookie QB Will Howard
