Steelers' Coaching Staff Delivers Promising Message On Will Howard As He Is Eligible To Return From Injured Reserve

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in a weird spot with the quarterback position ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. The fan base has been desperate for the team to find its franchise quarterback, but the organization has gone the route of starting a veteran over the last two seasons. Aaron Rodgers is the current starting quarterback for Pittsburgh, and he is likely in his final season in the league before retirement. That just means the franchise is more than likely going to be in the same situation during the 2026 offseason where it is looking for a signal-caller.

A large portion of the fan base in Pittsburgh wanted the franchise to address the quarterback position with a high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Jaxson Dart was still on the board when Pittsburgh was drafting in the first round, but the organization held off. The Steelers waited until the sixth round when they picked National Champion Will Howard from Ohio State, who was turning heads in Pittsburgh throughout the summer. 

Howard suffered an unfortunate hand injury during training camp that landing him on Injured Reserve, but Quarterbacks Coach Tom Arth seems to think the quarterback is now ready to go.

"Will Howard has handled the injury as a professional, just as we would expect him to," Arth said. "Really appreciative of our athletic training staff, our strength and conditioning staff. They've done a fantastic job working with Will. 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."

Howard was a fan-favorite during training camp, but he unfortunately suffered his injury before Pittsburgh's first preseason game. Fans have not really gotten to see him on the field outside of some action during practices back in July and August. With that being said, there are still some high hopes for Howard in the future, and it sounds like he could be returning to the practice field sometime soon.

Howard was placed on IR back before the 2025 regular season began and he was eligible to return after Week 4. Pittsburgh has its bye week in Week 5, so there probably won't be any news on any players being activated from IR until the team returns for practice.

The rookie is not the only quarterback that is on IR as Skylar Thompson is also hurt, and Howard should be on pace to return sooner than Thompson. The rookie could be activated in the near future, and he could take Logan Woodside's place as the third quarterback on game days. 

In the grand scheme of things, this probably wouldn't matter much as Howard has a very slim chance of seeing the field, but the fan base should be excited to get to see him practice again if and when he is activated off of IR.

Steelers' Will Howard Should Return To Practice Soon

Howard has been desperate to get back out on the field, and he should be able to do so ahead of Week 5. As mentioned, insiders believe he will be coming off of IR prior to Thompson, which should give the rookie some room to work in at practice. He probably won't be getting any reps with the first or second team offense, but he could be the scout team quarterback. This will allow him just to get used to playing football again while also developing his skills. It will hopefully help him get used to the speed of the NFL as well, which will aid in his development.

There is a world where Howard never plays a down for the Steelers, but a lot of fans have set high expectations. Once he returns to practice, hopefully he can perform well enough to convince the franchise to give him a shot to be considered for the starting job in 2026.

What do you think about Arth's comments on Howard? Let us know in the comments below!

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