During the players’ off day, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a roster move, releasing QB Logan Woodside from their practice squad. On the surface, the most minor of moves that will have no bearing on their Sunday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers. But it signals one of the team’s two quarterbacks currently on injured reserve, rookie Will Howard and veteran Skylar Thompson, is close to a return.
Though Pittsburgh’s only carried two quarterbacks on its 53-man roster since Thompson went to IR in early September, Woodside was the third man for practice. He was likely running scout team and helping get the team through practice, throwing during individual periods each day. It’s hard to function throughout the week with just two quarterbacks eligible to practice, and it would be a surprise if the team worked that way throughout the week beginning with tomorrow’s session.
Unless an outside quarterback is brought in, the most logical choice is to open the window for Howard or Thompson. Doing so wouldn’t immediately place either on the 53-man roster. They would remain on injured reserve for up to 21 days. But it would allow them to practice like any other player, and both are likely 100 percent at this point. Howard broke a bone in his hand in early August. Thompson suffered a hamstring injury six weeks ago. Either would give Pittsburgh a third quarterback for practice.
And soon enough, a third quarterback on the 53-man roster. Though Pittsburgh wouldn’t have to make a decision on activating its choice for 21 days, and the Steelers are likely to use that entire window, that time will come. NFL rules state that by the 21st day, the player must be either activated to the 53-man roster or kept on IR for the rest of the season and no longer allowed to practice.
Rarely does that occur. In Pittsburgh, the only time I can remember is when WR Calvin Austin III suffered a setback with his foot injury during his rookie season in 2022, forcing him to remain on injured reserve.
The biggest question is: who will get the nod? Will it be Howard, who missed out on valuable preseason reps and has been eager to get back to the team? Or Thompson, the preseason standout with the NFL experience Pittsburgh covets? That’s impossible to predict.
Whoever isn’t selected is likely to spend the rest of the season on injured reserve. Perhaps their window would open in the final weeks of the year similar to WR Roman Wilson and DL Logan Lee a year ago when the Steelers could map out how many IR-return spots were available to them. Teams receive eight each regular season. So far, Pittsburgh has used two. One in CB Cory Trice Jr. (who hasn’t returned to practice but designated during cutdowns) and one in ILB Malik Harrison.
With Mike Tomlin noting during his Tuesday press conference that Trice is close to returning and with Harrison practicing since last week, the Steelers could take steps to cleaning up their injured reserve list. And by mid-November return to having three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, something the team has done throughout most of its recent history.
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