Pittsburgh Steelers rookie QB Will Howard remains on IR, but quarterbacks coach Tom Arth is happy with Howard’s progress while he’s out. Despite suffering a broken finger that caused him to miss the entire preseason, Arth raved about how Howard has handled the setback.
“Will [Howard] has handled the injury as a professional, just as we would expect him to. Really appreciative of our athletic training staff, our strength and conditioning staff. They’ve done a fantastic job working with Will,” Arth said via audio provided by the team. “I think he’s in great shape right now. He’s been in as good a shape as he’s been since he’s been a Pittsburgh Steeler.”
Arth said that Howard is “locked in” mentally and has been working on projects for QB Aaron Rodgers.
Howard wasn’t likely to play at all for the Steelers this season, regardless of his health. The injury did cost him valuable preseason reps, but it sounds as if Howard has been doing everything that’s been asked of him and attacking his rehab in a manner the team likes to see.
With Howard having already missed four games, he would be eligible to be activated off IR. The Steelers have a bye this week, and while it’s unlikely the team opens Howard’s practice window or activates him ahead of Week 6, there’s at least a chance. With Skylar Thompson also on IR, the Steelers have been operating with just two quarterbacks and haven’t had an emergency third quarterback since Week 2.
That at least provides an opportunity for Howard to be activated, especially if he’s ready to return faster than Thompson, which Gerry Dulac reported ahead of Week 3 would be the case.
Given the timeline of Howard’s injury, he should be healthy now, and Arth’s comments back that up. The question is whether or not the team will burn a return spot on Howard this early in the season, as only eight players can return off IR in a season. Even though he hasn’t been regularly practicing, it’s nice to hear he’s still involved and working with Rodgers. Getting that sort of experience with a veteran quarterback with the pedigree of Rodgers will benefit Howard in the long term.
It’s good for the Steelers to keep Howard involved, and he seems to be taking an active role in what the team’s asking him to do. Even if he doesn’t have a role this season, it’s essential to make sure Howard is still hitting his development goals, and it sounds like that’s the case, even with his injury.
