Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard seems to be nearing his return.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard has been sidelined with a broken pinky finger on his right, throwing hand. However, signs hint that he could soon make his return to the football field.
Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth recently revealed that Howard has progressed well in his recovery and could be nearing a return.
“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.”
Howard, Pittsburgh’s sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, suffered his injury on a freak snap exchange during training camp. It caused him to miss the entire preseason and then he was placed on injured reserve after making the team’s initial 53-man roster.
However, Howard is now eligible to return to the active roster having served his four games on IR, and the Steelers may activate him sooner rather than later.
It was always the plan for Howard to serve as Pittsburgh’s No. 3 quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, but the impressive play of fourth-string quarterback Skylar Thompson this preseason allowed the team to take its time with Howard.
Unfortunately, Thompson then suffered a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve as well. The Steelers re-signed quarterback Logan Woodside to the practice squad to replace him, but there’s no doubt Howard provides much more upside at the position.
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.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Get Promising Injury Update on Rookie QB Will Howard
