Steelers are forced to end the Will Howard experiment before it began

News broke late Tuesday night that Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard fractured his throwing hand in practice. The good news is that, while significant, the injury shouldn’t end his rookie season entirely.

The bad news is that this may close the door on the Howard experiment in Pittsburgh.

While the odds of Howard becoming the future face of the franchise were always long (despite fans thinking he could be a starter), missing essentially the rest of the preseason is a death blow to that hope. Heck, it isn’t unthinkable that Howard gets stashed on injured reserve for his entire rookie year at this point.

Even if he does manage to stay on the active roster, Howard needed a lot of things to go his way to throw his name into the eventual starter competition. That all started with a strong preseason showing. Now injured, that isn’t going to happen.

The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have time to see what Will Howard can do

While the path of a late-round rookie quarterback becoming a starter is hard, it isn’t impossible. It starts with a great offseason and preseason program, though.

Howard was set to get a lot of burn this summer. Aaron Rodgers, while new to the team, is going to be rested given his veteran status. Mason Rudolph will get time as the backup, but Pittsburgh is aware of what he brings to the table as a player.

READ MORE: Steelers roster getting chaotic on offense thanks to the unlikeliest player

As the third quarterback, this meant Howard would have seen some significant snaps in the preseason. He would have needed to excel still, and there was no guarantee of that happening, but if he did, the argument could have been made to move him up the depth chart.

Assuming he doesn’t go to injured reserve, Howard will be stuck as the third quarterback and weekly inactive. Unless there is a horrible stretch of injuries, Howard will likely not see a single snap as a rookie.

The Steelers have been stockpiling resources for next year’s draft, seemingly intending to move up to get their guy in the first round. Once that happens, Howard will be battling with Rudolph for backup duties.

It would have taken an incredible stretch of play for Howard to change that plan, but with no path to doing that now, fans should significantly temper their expectations for his career in Pittsburgh. At best, he becomes a good second option that is eventually traded if the league views him as a starter.

Unless he gets a chance to shine in the preseason or there is a string of disastrous injuries to the quarterback room, Howard’s slim chance at becoming the future of this franchise has been doused. All eyes should be on the quarterback class in 2026 for the future franchise quarterback.