This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted not to spend a high draft pick on a quarterback. However, they still drafted a quarterback, taking Will Howard in the sixth round. While that wasn’t with the intention of Howard being their next franchise guy, fans are still excited about the young quarterback’s potential. Unfortunately, Howard recently suffered a hand injury that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks. However, Mike Tomlin gave an optimistic answer when asked if Howard could be back in time to play in the preseason.
“Certainly,” Tomlin said Thursday via the team’s YouTube channel.
Howard broke one of his fingers in practice this week, so it seemed unlikely he’d get healthy enough to suit up in the preseason. While it’s not a serious injury, it still resulted in some disappointment among the fan base. One of the most exciting parts of the preseason is getting to see how young players look in their first taste of NFL action. That’s especially true for young quarterbacks.
When describing the nature of the issue, Tomlin seemed hopeful that Howard’s injury wouldn’t keep him out too long.
“I would characterize it as week to week at this juncture. I’ll be optimistic and we’ll see what next week holds.”
Howard is out this week, but he’ll be reevaluated next week. The initial report indicated that Howard would miss a few weeks. Therefore, if Howard’s injury heals fast enough, it seems most likely that he could return for the Steelers’ final preseason game.
Fans are likely sharing Tomlin’s optimistic approach. If Howard doesn’t suit up in the preseason, then it’s uncertain when he could get in an actual NFL game. Aaron Rodgers is slated to be the Steelers’ starter, and Mason Rudolph will likely be their number two quarterback. That leaves Howard low on the depth chart.
We’ll see if Tomlin has any positive updates on Howard next week. Training camp will come to a close soon, but there’s still some time left before the regular season starts. Getting an early look at where Howard is would be nice for the team and the fan base. However, it’s also important to make sure Howard is totally healthy before playing him. There’s no reason to test his finger if it isn’t 100 percent.
Recommended for you