The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback depth chart doesn't give fans much to be excited about beyond this season. Aaron Rodgers is 41 years old, and likely in the final year of his illustrious career. Mason Rudolph is signed to a short-term deal and won't fit into the equation beyond this season barring a surprising career turnaround. Skylar Thompson is, more or less a depth piece. Then there is Will Howard, who was drafted in the sixth round by Pittsburgh after winning a National Championship with Ohio State. Howard suffered a hand injury on Tuesday and will miss at least three weeks.
On the surface, a three week absence doesn't seem like that big of a deal, especially for a player with so much of his career ahead of him. However, one has to take a look at the facts. The Steelers were a tremendous offseason fit for any quarterback looking to win now. Howard, meanwhile, is developmental project for the future. The Steelers don't exactly have the best track record at developing young quarterbacks – look no further than Kenny Pickett and even Rudolph.
Will Howard missing the Steelers preseason will hurt his chances
Pittsburgh is not going to release Howard, but his chances of making a real impact in the 2025 season are limited now that he's unlikely to play in the preseason. Mike Tomlin – as anyone with eyes can surely understand given his quarterback choices the last two years in Russell Wilson and Rodgers – isn't a believer in blind trust at the QB position. Unless he sees enough from Howard in live game action, he isn't going to throw him to the wolves.
With Rodgers over 40 years old and Rudolph solidified as the backup quarterback, this preseason would have been Howard's opportunity to show what he's got. Now, he's been robbed of that opportunity thanks to a faulty hand-off.
What Will Howard's injury means for his Steelers future
Where Howard was selected has everything to do with this prognosis. The preseason hype from Steelers fans regarding Howard has been a bit obnoxious, but they also have little else to root for beyond this season at the position. That should change next April, when Pittsburgh hosts the NFL Draft and ought to finally be looking for their quarterback of the future. The preseason was Howard's tryout to complicate the Steelers decision. Now, they will head into next April's draft without much of an idea what Howard's capable of outside of the practice facility. That is not good news for the Ohio State product.
Timing is everything in the NFL. The Howard hype train has left the station, but he will not get much of a chance to back up the praise he's received from legends like Ben Roethlisberger and beyond this preseason. Barring injury, Howard will not play against another team in front of NFL fans until 2026. By then, he'll be behind the eight ball once again.