Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard addressed the media on Tuesday, a week after injuring his hand during a practice at training camp.
Howard told media members that he was frustrated by the injury, which came during a center-quarterback exchange.
“I mean, it sucks, you know. Every ounce of me wants to be out there playing and I’m just kind of sitting here doing nothing,” Will Howard said. “It kills me, especially on something, what felt like dumb, to me. It was just a freak accident. But you know, things happen and it’s about how you respond to it and how you handle the adversity.”
Howard added that he will not undergo surgery and is hopeful he will be able to return to play this preseason. That decision will ultimately be up to Mike Tomlin, though.
The Steelers opened preseason action this past Saturday against the Jaguars and have upcoming games against Buccaneers this Saturday, before closing out the preseason on Thursday, Aug. 21 against the Panthers.
“I hope so. We’re just going to have to see how this heals,” Howard said. “I defer to coach Tomlin on most of that stuff. I’m still just taking it day-by-day, week-by-week and doing what I can to stay ready so I don’t have to get ready.
“So if that opportunity does present itself I’ll be ready and I just want to stay physically in shape. I would love an opportunity to get out there and we’ll see what happens.”
Howard, a former Ohio State star and Pennsylvania native is in his first season with the Steelers after being drafted by Pittsburgh in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Despite being unable to practice for the past week, he is still working to stay involved.
“I wish I could go back and change it. I wish I could be out there playing. But the fact of the matter is it happened and I’ve got to continue to stay locked in and make sure that I’m still on my stuff and locked in during meetings and during practice and still getting all the mental reps, because this time is still important for me,” Howard said.
“Although I’m not getting physical reps, I need to continue to get mental reps if I want to continue on the trajectory that I was on. I felt like I was doing well. So I need to continue to make steps and make strides, even though I can’t necessarily do it physically out there. But I’m just trying to maximize every day and make the best of it.”
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