Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed quarterback Skylar Thompson on the injured reserve list, the team announced on Wednesday.
Thompson suffered a hamstring injury in practice last week while serving as Justin Fields on the Steelers’ scout team. He was listed as questionable to play against the New York Jets in Week 1. He ended up being dressed as the emergency third quarterback, and he was not needed, as starter Aaron Rodgers played the entire game.
By rule, Thompson must miss at least four games while on the injured reserve list, so he will not be eligible to reinstated until Week 7, as the Steelers have a Week 5 bye.
Rookie quarterback Will Howard is also on the injured reserve list with a broken right pinky finger. He must remain there until Week 6.
Thompson joined the Steelers on a future contract this January, but a strong performance in the preseason after Howard’s injury solidified him a spot on the team. Thompson took advantage of the additional reps, finishing the preseason as the NFL’s best passer in the preseason. 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.
“Yeah, I do feel like I’ve solidified myself and shown that they can trust me,” Thompson said.
He made the Miami Dolphins’ active roster as a seventh-round rookie in 2022 — also on the back of a strong preseason performance. When Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater were injured, he ended up playing seven games and making two stars.
Again in 2024, he played in three games as a backup to Tagovailoa, but managed just a 78.7 passer rating. He was waived by the Dolphins late last season.
The Steelers have used one of a total of eight regular season injured reserve return slots so far.
The team re-signed Logan Woodside, who had been with the team during training camp, to the practice squad to serve as the third quarterback until one or both of Howard or Thompson return.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Put Quarterback on IR after Practice Injury
