The Pittsburgh Steelers finalized their first 53-man roster Tuesday but still face a decision with rookie quarterback Will Howard.
Several pundits, including The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, have reported the team will place Howard on injured reserve before the regular season begins. That will enable the Steelers to keep more experienced quarterback Skylar Thompson without having four signal-callers on the roster.
It will also give Howard more time to heal from the broken pinky finger he sustained during practice on August 5.
But on Wednesday, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly argued against the team placing Howard on IR. Kaboly explained how the move could be detrimental to his development.
“I don’t agree with it whatsoever,” Kaboly said, via Steelers Depot’s Matthew Marczi. “I think Will Howard needs to be fed as much as he can be.
“Even if it’s for four weeks, up to seven weeks, whatever it could be depending on when they start the clock, it’s a lost season.”
The Steelers drafted Howard at No. 185 overall in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Why the Steelers Could Place Will Howard on IR
There are several moving parts to the decision the Steelers have with their rookie quarterback. But it centers around when Howard could return, his lack of preseason reps and Thompson’s strong exhibition games showing.
“Thompson has earned the right to be the backup to Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph after he finished the preseason with another impressive performance Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers,” wrote Dulac.
“But it will also allow the Steelers to place rookie Will Howard on the reserve injured list to start the season and not worry about leaving him unprotected …
“Howard would have to stay on IR for at least four games, but it would not be unreasonable if he remained there for the entire season.”
The Steelers are past needing to worry about leaving one of their quarterbacks unprotected. The team kept all four signal-callers on the first 53-man roster.
Still, keeping four quarterbacks is probably not what the team wants to do long term.
Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph hold the top two spots on Pittsburgh’s quarterback depth chart. To get down to three signal-callers, the Steelers can either place Howard on IR or trade Thompson.
Placing Howard on IR gives the Steelers a more experienced QB3. Thompson has appeared in 10 NFL games and started three of them. He also started a playoff game in January 2023.
During the preseason, Thompson completed 73.2% of his passes for 498 yards. He also had three touchdowns with one interception.
Why the Steelers Shouldn’t Place Howard on IR
The argument for and against Howard beginning the regular season on IR comes down to short-term and long-term goals.
It’s better in the immediate future, for the Steelers, to place Howard on IR. But as Kaboly explained, it could significantly hurt the rookie’s development.
With an IR stint, Howard would have to miss at least four weeks. During that time, he can’t practice with the team.
There’s no guarantee the rookie will return in four weeks. As Kaboly noted, it could be longer. So long, in fact, that 2025 could turn into a redshirt year.
That’s not necessarily the worst thing because the Steelers weren’t counting on Howard starting in 2025. But the hope was the team could find out what the rookie might be able to do at the NFL level.
It could become much harder to do that if Howard is on IR to begin the regular season.
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