Steelers rookie QB Will Howard’s status is up in the air after injuring his hand, but one insider is confident he will be ready to begin the season. The sixth-round pick fractured his pinky during a center exchange in practice and has done little since. With that injury occurring before the first preseason game, he has missed crucial time.
A rookie missing the majority of the most critical portions of the offseason is a major concern. Because of that, and because of Skylar Thompson’s subsequent play, many possibilities have been raised. Will Howard could start the season on the Reserve/Injured list, for example, or simply inactive behind Thompson.
Steelers reporter Jeff Hathhorn doesn’t see that happening. Speaking about Howard Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan, he said he anticipates the Steelers will move forward with him as their third quarterback when the regular season begins. Immediately shooting down any notion he could be on the practice squad, he explained he can’t share everything he sees.
“I think they just release Skylar Thompson and take their chances at that point. I think Skylar’s done a great job considering the lack of reps that he’s had, but I think they want to have Will get opportunities”, Hathhorn said. “And I guess we’ll find out how bad this risk is.
“There’s some things I could tell you, but I can’t because it’s a closed practice. That’s why I’m stumbling along here. But I think that Will [Howard] will be on the roster, and I think he should be good to go for the start of the season”.
The Steelers exited Latrobe some time ago, so all the work they have done since then is only accessible to the media. One imagines Hathhorn is basing this prediction on what he has seen from Howard since they broke camp. During warmups for Saturday’s preseason game, for example, he was at least picking up a football. At the time of his injury, he said he couldn’t grip it, which is when he understood the severity.
Howard, who said he would tear his left arm off to be able to play, did not rule out playing in the preseason finale when he spoke to reporters last week. One imagines that if that is even on the table, he could be physically ready for Week 1.
But it’s not just about being physically ready, of course. Howard has hardly done anything—as far as we on the outside know—for weeks. Obviously, he is studying and in meetings in everything, but he isn’t taking reps. He has seen no work in the preseason and isn’t likely to tomorrow.
I imagine Howard’s finger will be good enough to allow him to play in a game, physically, if he needed to. If he were to find himself in a game, however, how would he respond? The odds of that scenario playing out are low, granted, but it does happen. There’s a reason the third quarterback rule exists.
