Steelers rookie QB Will Howard may miss the entire preseason, and that could complicate the gameday QB3 role this year. Every indication is Howard’s hand injury is minor, though he is reportedly going through testing. I can’t imagine a scenario in which the Steelers waive him or place him on the Reserve/Injured List, either.
And therein lies a part of the problem—not that he will be taking up a roster spot, but that the emergency quarterback role will be compromised, at least initially. The Steelers will have to sign a quarterback to take Howard’s spot for at least the rest of the preseason. But who will be the third quarterback, the one who dresses for games, in Week 1?
It might not be Will Howard, even though he will be on the 53-man roster. If he finishes out the offseason without any work, the Steelers might balk at putting him in that position. Yes, they have to go through multiple quarterback injuries to get to him, but these things happen.
And the problem is, Skylar Thompson is not a vested veteran, but he could be potentially attractive to teams. Because he doesn’t have vested status, the Steelers would have to waive him, and then any team could claim him. If they can put him on the practice squad, then they can elevate him to take Howard’s role as the emergency quarterback for the first few games of the season.
If not, then they either have to dress an untested Howard or use a third quarterback who hasn’t played in the system. As Alex Kozora mentioned on X last night, one name to consider is Logan Woodside. He played under Arthur Smith both in Tennessee and Atlanta, so he would know a lot of what Will Howard ought to know.
Imagine #Steelers will work out a couple names but assuming they add another QB due to Will Howard's injury, watch out for Logan Woodside.
Vet who spent multiple years with Arthur Smith in Atlanta. Guy who can come in and give No. 4 QB snaps this summer.
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) August 6, 2025
We don’t actually know whether Howard, who had been doing well, will miss the whole preseason or not. We also don’t know if the Steelers might actually be sufficiently comfortable in dressing him after missing so much valuable experience. But these are the things teams have to consider, and front offices have to plan for contingencies.
The likelihood of the Steelers needing a third quarterback is low in any given game, granted. But the third quarterback is also always one play away from being the backup. Kyle Allen, for example, actually ended up spending about half of last season as the gameday backup. If either Rodgers or Mason Rudolph were to miss a game, Will Howard would have to be ready to play.
And there would be an understandable unease about that if he never even gets into a preseason game. They don’t have a choice, really, when it comes to Howard. He’ll either be available, or he won’t be available. But if I were the Steelers, I would add a “camp body” who’s a vested veteran who they could re-sign to the practice squad, just in case somebody claims Skylar Thompson off waivers.
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