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On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers were dealt some tough injury news when it was revealed that rookie quarterback Will Howard had suffered a fracture in his hand that will sideline him for at least three weeks, as reported by the NFL Network. Howard helped guide the Ohio State Buckeyes to an NCAA championship last year and was competing for a backup spot behind Aaron Rodgers on the Steelers this year.
Recently, Rodgers got 100% on how he feels for Howard in the wake of the injury.
“It sucks, sucks for him for sure because he’s had such a nice camp as a young player. Watching him at minicamp and seeing his command of offense, but this year is a growth year for him, a year to watch and learn,” said Rodgers, per Joe Rutter of TribLIVE.com on X, formerly Twitter.
Howard had indeed been raising some eyebrows thus far at Steelers training camp, and unfortunately, any chances he was going to have to show off his skills during the team's preseason run may have now gone out the window.
A tough break for the Steelers
Any team with a 41 year-old quarterback not too far removed from an Achilles tear will want to have a good amount of stock invested in the backup position, which is exactly the scenario the Steelers now find themselves in.
The good news is that Howard's injury is not too severe, and if the three-week timetable turns out to be true, he could be back in time for the regular season.
Rodgers was able to stay relatively healthy last year with the New York Jets but didn't exactly produce great results on the field. While it's unlikely that the Steelers would ever bench him just for poor play considering how much they put into acquiring him, they'll certainly want to have Will Howard healthy and ready to go by the time the regular season rolls around.
The Steelers will kick off their 2025 campaign against the New York Jets on September 7 in the Meadowlands. Meanwhile, the preseason will get underway on Saturday on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
