The Steelers are doing rookie QB Will Howard no favors by putting him on IR—but unlike Mason Rudolph, at least he has a quarterback coach. Still, sportswriter Mark Kaboly has concerns that the Steelers are repeating mistakes that they made with Rudolph. At least in a general sense, they did not maximize Rudolph’s developmental opportunities.
And if the Steelers are willing to let an almost-healthy Will Howard sit on IR all year, they are clearly not doing that. “The Steelers need to develop quarterbacks, not hinder their development”, Kaboly argued in a recent article published on X. He argues, “the Steelers are being a little too cautious with Howard, and that could lead to complications when he does get cleared”.
Kaboly: Will Howard’s season isn’t a total loss yet, but it sure is trending in that direction
Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent
For The @PatMcAfeeShow
PITTSBURGH — You really can’t say, at this point, that it is a wasted season for Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard.… pic.twitter.com/4gb4pmrF7L
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 29, 2025
A sixth-round pick out of Ohio State, Will Howard fractured his pink before the Steelers’ first preseason game. Shortly before roster cuts, HC Mike Tomlin said he expects the quarterback to be healthy very soon. And then the Steelers placed him on IR, waiting a day to avoid an automatic return designation. In other words, they wanted the possibility of leaving him on IR all year without wasting a return slot.
“You would think that they would have learned that from how they went about it with Mason Rudolph in 2018”, Kaboly wrote about how the Steelers are handling Howard’s injury. “They never set up Rudolph for success in his rookie year and then threw him to the wolves when Roethlisberger got injured the next year”.
When the Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph in the third round in 2018, they were in the midst of tomfoolery. They promoted quarterback coach Randy Fichtner to offensive coordinator, but let him serve a dual role. Only the following season did they hire another dedicated quarterback coach—Matt Canada. Canada later became the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, whom they fired mid-season.
Of course, the Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph harboring legitimate hopes of developing into a franchise quarterback. They are under no such illusions with Will Howard, as his draft status tells you. You do not draft five other players and wait until the sixth round to draft a quarterback you believe could win you Super Bowls.
Still, Kaboly has a point, and clearly Will Howard staying on IR is not in his best interests. The Steelers apparently fed him some flimsy excuses justifying his placement on IR despite their own head coach declaring him nearly healthy.
On the flip side, the Steelers have to make decisions that maximize their chances of winning in 2025. They believe Skylar Thompson as their third quarterback makes the most sense right now. After all, Howard, a rookie missed the most important portion of his on-field offseason development. That’s not his fault, but reality is reality, and you can’t change that.
Mind you, the Steelers could activate Howard from IR at any point after Week 4. By waiting, they simply allow themselves the option of leaving him on IR if that’s how the season plays out. It also allows them, in theory, to shop Thompson for a potential trade.
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