One of the more exciting things about the Pittsburgh Steelers' preseason was the chance to see rookie quarterback Will Howard play in his first live NFL action.
Unfortunately, that took a major hit recently after Howard suffered a broken finger that was expected to keep him out for the entirety of the preseason and the rest of training camp, with his timeline for recovery set at "at least three weeks."
On Thursday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin offered some hope for the Ohio State product seeing some exhibition work.
"Tomlin doesn't rule out Will Howard (broken finger) playing at some point in the preseason," ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported.
The Steelers will open up their exhibition slate on Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Duval, and then a week later will play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Pittsburgh.
Given the timeline, it seems unlikely Howard will be able to play against the Bucs, but we can at least leave the door ajar for the Thursday, Aug. 21 preseason finale versus the Carolina Panthers.
Tomlin revealed a list of players who won't be suiting up on Saturday, and the list included starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
With Howard on the shelf and Rodgers not playing, the quarterback duties will be split up between Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.
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