Hand Injury Derails Howard’s Debut - Thompson Steps Up as QB3

There was so much excitement about the potential Will Howard might show as a sixth-round rookie for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But Howard missed the preseason because of a hand injury. Then in his place, his former college teammate, quarterback Skylar Thompson, played well.

For that reason, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac argued Howard might not dress at all during his rookie campaign.

Dulac predicted Friday that the Steelers will place Howard on injured reserve for Week 1. That will require Howard to spend the first four weeks of the season on IR.

But with the quarterback not expected to play during his rookie campaign, there’s little reason for the Steelers to rush him back.

Dulac also predicted that in the meantime, the Steelers will move forward with Thompson as their QB3 behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.

“Thompson has earned the right to be the backup to Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph after he finished the preseason with another impressive performance Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers,” wrote Dulac.

“But it will also allow the Steelers to place rookie Will Howard on the reserve injured list to start the season and not worry about leaving him unprotected …

“Howard would have to stay on IR for at least four games, but it would not be unreasonable if he remained there for the entire season.”

Both Thompson and Howard joined the Steelers this offseason. The Steelers signed Thompson to a futures contract in January. Then in the 2025 NFL Draft, the team drafted Howard at No. 185 overall in the sixth round.

Steelers Value NFL Experience QB Skylar Thompson Has

Pundits viewed Howard as the team’s fun developmental quarterback project prior to his hand injury on August 5.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin held out hope Howard could make his debut in Week 3 of the preseason. But that didn’t happen.

Instead, Thompson shined with a more extended opportunity. On Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, he completed 11 of 13 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Thompson averaged 11.7 yards per attempt.

More than anything, though, Thompson’s play worked as a reminder of the experience that he has, which Howard doesn’t.

Tomlin suggested in his postgame press conference Thursday that the Steelers value that trait in Thompson.

“He’s got playing experience,” Tomlin said. “This guy started games in Miami, and I think that experience shows.

“We’re talking regular season games.”

Thompson started three games with the Miami Dolphins and appeared in seven other games over three seasons. He also started a playoff game in January 2023.

Will Howard to Face Redshirt Rookie Season?

If Thompson hadn’t played well, then the Steelers probably wouldn’t be as motivated to place Howard on injured reserve to begin the season. But since he did, the move is a bit of a no-brainer.

Placing Howard on IR allows the Steelers a quarterback roster spot for Thompson. Essentially, the team can keep all four signal-callers with Howard on IR.

“Teams are allowed to place two players on IR before rosters are pared to 53 players. Those moves have to be made on the day of final cuts, which is Tuesday. Howard, who has a fractured bone in his throwing hand, is the perfect candidate,” wrote Dulac.

Landing on IR, though, isn’t the best for Howard’s immediate future. He won’t be able to practice with the team even if his hand heals before the end of Week 4.

If Rodgers, Rudolph and Thompson are all healthy and playing well entering Week 5, there’s little motivation for the Steelers to activate Howard.

Getting the quarterback practice reps is probably the top reason to activate him. But QB3’s don’t typically get a lot of snaps at practice.

For Howard to continue his hype train into the regular season, he needed to receive a lot of preseason playing time and excel. Not playing at all was very unfortunate because now Howard faces the possibility of not dressing at all as a rookie.

By the time he gets the opportunity to dress, the Steelers may have added another new quarterback in the 2026 Draft.

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