Will Howard reportedly suffers broken hand, will miss roughly 3 weeks

The Pittsburgh Steelers took a flier on former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard in the 2025 NFL Draft when he was selected in the 6th Round. A 6th Round draft pick doesn’t have high expectations, but Howard quickly became a fan favorite at Saint Vincent College for training camp.

During Tuesday’s workout, Howard left practice with what Mike Tomlin labeled a hand injury which needed to be further evaluated. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Howard’s hand injury is a fracture of a small bone. Rapoport acknowledges he still needs further testing, but the injury is expected sideline him for three weeks.

This from Rapoport’s official Twitter/X account:

#Steelers rookie QB Will Howard, who banged his throwing hand in practice, suffered a fractured small bone in his hand, sources say.

He’s having additional tests, but it’s likely no surgery is required. He’s expected to miss at least 3 weeks, but more info coming. pic.twitter.com/ngij5xxxr5

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 6, 2025

If the timeline for Howard to return from the injury is indeed three weeks, it absolutely throws a wrench into the team’s plans to see what they might have in Howard as a prospect.

Sure, they’ve seen a lot of how Howard can do since he was drafted. Rookie minicamp, Organized Team Activities (OTAs), Mandatory Minicamp and even the first two weeks of training camp; however, there has to be a sense of disappointment they won’t get to see Howard in the preseason. If Howard missed the entire preseason, the team will have to make a decision about what they do with the QB3 position during the season.

The team could wait until the roster cut downs occur, and place Howard on Injured Reserve (IR) giving him an essential red-shirt season. If the Steelers have seen enough of Howard, they could keep him on the roster and let him learn and develop without the experience of even the preseason under his belt.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of training camp and the preseason game this Saturday night vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars.