Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard took the next step in his recovery.
According to practice video from Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, Howard was seen throwing on Monday. This marks the first time Howard has thrown the rock in practice (at least publicly) since suffering a broken finger on Aug. 5.
Howard was initially given a timeline of "at least three weeks" to get back from his injury and it looked like he might be ready for the start of the season.
However, Howard was placed on injured reserve after the cutdown deadline and is now forced to miss at least the first four games of the 2025 season. The decision allowed Pittsburgh to keep Skylar Thompson, also.
Will Howard injury update
Will Howard is beginning to throw as he recovers from a broken finger pic.twitter.com/j1SU48nveC
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) September 1, 2025
Now, it'll be interesting to see if the Steelers remove Howard from injured reserve at all this season.
The negative is that keeping him there could stunt Howard's growth, as he won't be able to practice normally as long as he's on the list.
But, on the flip side, keeping Howard there gives the Steelers some roster flexibility, as they can use Thompson's spot on a different position if need be.
The Steelers really don't need a third quarterback unless they have a catastrophic injury situation, and they probably trust Thompson more than Howard at this point, so they might prefer to keep the veteran on the roster instead of the rookie.
Whatever the case may be, Howard's chances of seeing the field in 2025 are slim. Barring major injury woes at quarterback, we don't expect to see the rookie throwing passes in a game unless the Steelers fall out of contention.
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