Despite the tutelage from his idol, Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie quarterback Will Howard has yet to taste the gridiron glory. But that could be changing soon. Head coach Mike Tomlin has made some major moves after the Week 10 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. And one of the biggest roster shake-ups is Howard returning to the active roster. 

“We have activated QB Will Howard to the Active Roster from the Reserve/Injured List,” shared the Steelers’ official X handle.

Howard has been dealing with a hand injury since August, which has kept him out of the preseason as well. While he began the regular season on the IR, his return to the practice field on October 22 sparked hopes. The Steelers opened their 21-day practice window, and for a while, it looked like he could even be ready for Week 10. But after spending another week on the IR, he’s back.

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This move matters even more because veteran starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers has declared that this season will be his last. The Steelers may be looking for a chance to develop Will Howard while they still have the Rodgers safety net. Additionally, Rodgers has taken 3 sacks in each of his last three outings. If an injury ends up sidelining him, Howard could provide some much-needed depth behind Mason Rudolph.

And then there’s the sharp drop in Rodgers’ performance that has signaled alarm bells. Week 10 saw him complete just 16 of 32 passes with a season-low 51.6% completion rate. While he threw one touchdown pass, he also threw two picks and was sacked three times. After the 25-10 loss, even Coach Tomlin couldn’t hide his frustration in front of the media.

Mike Tomlin’s post-game shots

Anger was etched clearly in Mike Tomlin’s face after their Week 10 loss. And when questions about Aaron Rodgers’ performance kept cropping up, it looked like Tomlin had reached a boiling point. When one reporter asked how he’d assess Week 10 Rodgers, Tomlin notably stared down with an exasperated expression before firing a shot.

“How would you? Next.” Tomlin fumed.

The Steelers could only convert 2 of 11 of their third-down attempts. Rodgers looked lost at times, facing the Chargers’ secondary. In the face of it all, Mike Tomlin didn’t pin the blame on Rodgers exclusively but added that the entire offence had sputtered.

“We, as an offensive collective were off today, and certainly, he’s a component of that,” Coach Tomlin noted. “I’ll let him speak for himself, but we certainly got to be better.”

Rodgers, in turn, took the blame upon himself, noting he needs to play better in the coming weeks. And since then, Mike Tomlin’s stance on Rodgers may have shifted back to the positive.

“Sunday night was what it was,” Tomlin said recently. “But I have no long-term reservations about his ability to play the position and play the position at a high level for us. – I’m not going to chalk it up to an off night, but there are no long-term concerns.”

But if a similar trend continues in the coming week against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers now have a backup plan. If Rodgers slips, Mike Tomlin can hand the ball to Mason Rudolph. And if he sees a chance to develop their rookie, we could see Will Howard make his start as well.