Training camp at Saint Vincent College wasn’t just another stop on Will Howard’s football journey. It was the place where a sixth-round rookie from Ohio State – fresh off a national championship – was getting his first real taste of NFL life. The drills, the huddles, the quarterback room alongside Aaron Rodgers. This was the stuff he’d pictured since he was a kid tossing a football in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. “It’s my childhood dream…I’ve been playing since I was 7 years old, and I’m loving it,” Howard said in July.

And by late July, Howard was no longer just the fourth quarterback in Steelers camp. The rookie had quietly leapfrogged into third-team reps, turning heads with a steady command in drills. The preseason was supposed to be his live audition. If he performed well, it could have changed the trajectory of his entire career. But his summer script just got ripped up, as his worst nightmare came true.

During Aug. 4 practice, Howard’s day derailed on a routine quarterback-center exchange. The ball and his throwing hand collided just wrong. Just a fumbled moment that left his throwing-hand pinky fractured. A “freak accident,” he called it. The injury will sideline the rookie for the entire preseason. Still, Howard’s making it clear he’s not checking out mentally. “I know I’m a rookie, but I’m still trying to be a part of this journey,” he admitted.

The setback hits harder because of where he was headed. “Especially this preseason with my guys that, we are all rookies and all the young guys that are getting all these reps.” Howard had been earning more snaps, more trust, more chances to show he could be more than just a developmental project. Now those reps are gone. Missing them now stings. “Like, it hurts me that I’m not out there, but I’m trying to stay as involved as I can be. And I could probably be better about staying more involved and just trying to get as many mental reps as I possibly can”

He’s leaning into that adjustment, knowing the temptation is to sulk. “Trying to make that an emphasis this week because it’s easy when you have something like this happen…it sucks. You know? It’s brutal. But you gotta…be a man and step up and just continue to learn and grow every day regardless of the situation.” It’s the rookie’s worst nightmare – your body’s on the sideline, your mind’s in overdrive, and the clock on proving yourself is ticking.

Freak injury halts Howard’s rise

The official word came quickly: a broken pinky finger on his throwing hand, sustained in that quarterback-center exchange at camp. Head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed it’s a “week to week” injury, non-surgical for now, but one that wipes Howard off the preseason depth chart. With him out, Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson will take the extra snaps.

It’s a detour, not a derailment. Rodgers, who’s locked in as QB1, sees this year as Howard’s foundation. “This will be a minor setback for him,” Rodgers said. “It would have been great to see him get some live reps in the preseason… but either way, this is a year for him to grow and learn. We want him to get his body the way he wants to get it, and get ready to be the guy for the long-term.” But for now, Howard’s focus shifts from the field to the film room. 

The Steelers drafted him with patience in mind, banking on his size, poise, and production – 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns at Ohio State – to eventually translate. A broken finger won’t rewrite the plan. But it will test just how well a rookie can handle every young quarterback’s biggest mental battle: waiting.