He was dubbed, at times, as “Coach Will.” In actuality, though, the duties Will Howard was performing over the first seven weeks of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season were more akin to what an intern might do.
Until this week, that is, for the rookie quarterback.
“Now I’m back to ‘Player Will,’” Howard said after Thursday’s practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, “which is pretty damn nice.”
The Steelers’ sixth-round pick after winning the national championship at Ohio State in January, Howard suffered a broken finger while taking a snap during a training-camp practice in August. He missed all three preseason games and went on the injured reserve list to start the season.
But Howard returned to practice Wednesday and could be added to the active roster at any point over the next three weeks.
“I’m 100% now,” Howard said. “I’ve been 100% for a while.”
Steelers rookie QB Will Howard on how much returning to practice will aid in his development pic.twitter.com/KJ9uMpaKkY
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 23, 2025
Howard described himself as like “a little kid playing football again” in his return to live practice reps.
“My first two plays yesterday, it was scout team,” he said, “and I handed the ball off. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled more on two handoff plays in my life.”
While down, Howard remained engaged in meetings and on the practice field, taking as many mental reps as possible. He also worked on “special projects” for the offense and veteran quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.
Howard said the organization mapped out a plan for him for returning to practice.
“They kept me in the loop and in the know what we were doing, so I definitely appreciate that,” Howard said. “We were all on the same page. We had a good plan for it. So I knew generally when I was coming back (but) I didn’t know exactly when. I was starting to get excited. I didn’t want to get my hopes up because you never know, but I am just glad and blessed to be back.”
Howard said the 41-year-old Rodgers was “awesome” in aiding in his development. There is no obvious heir apparent to Rodgers on the roster, and as such Howard sees an opportunity to state his case as a possible Steelers quarterback of the future.
“It was unfortunate what happened (with the injury). He didn’t get to play in the preseason,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “It’s important for him to practice.
“We’ll see how the season unfolds, but Will has been incredible. He did a lot of things behind the scenes and tried to expedite his growth, what we could do without him doing the physical work. It’s been like having another quality control around the building. We call him Coach Will. Now he’s back to being a player.”
