Steelers quarterback Will Howard’s rookie season is on pause after he sustained a fracture in the pinky finger of his throwing hand on Tuesday, league sources told The Athletic.
The injury occurred during a quarterback-center exchange at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. The timetable for a return is unclear, as Howard is still undergoing additional testing and evaluation.
Howard, a sixth-round draft pick out of Ohio State, has quickly become a fan favorite during training camp. He began the summer as the fourth quarterback in the rotation; in recent practices, he’s been earning third-team reps. He was expected to get significant playing time in the preseason, beginning with the Steelers’ game in Jacksonville on Saturday. Howard is expected to miss at least that game, and is at risk of missing the entire three-game preseason slate. With Howard sidelined, second-team quarterback Mason Rudolph and third-string QB Skylar Thompson should see more playing time in the preseason.
With Aaron Rodgers entrenched as QB1, the Steelers drafted Howard as a long-term project. He was expected to spend the majority of this season as the third quarterback on the depth chart, behind Rudolph. The injury will rob Howard of valuable preseason and training-camp reps. However, it doesn’t necessarily change the long-term vision or the plan behind Rodgers. Howard will still have an opportunity to learn in the classroom as he works toward becoming a piece of the Steelers’ future.
(Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
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