Unless something goes wrong for the Pittsburgh Steelers the rest of the 2025 season, rookie quarterback Will Howard will not play. While he will make his debut on the team’s active roster during Week 11, Howard is the QB3.
The 2025 sixth-rounder will only see the field if the Steelers experience multiple quarterback injuries.
But Howard still found being included on the team’s active roster for the rest of 2025 vital for his future. The rookie quarterback expressed his thanks to the organization for the opportunity while speaking to reporters Thursday.
“It’s a blessing,” Howard said, via TribLive.com’s Chris Adamski. “I’m really thankful that they made the decision to … activate me because … we have (starting QB Aaron Rodgers), so it’s not necessarily like I’m coming up to play (in a game) but it’s more for my growth and development.
“That means a lot that they were willing to do that for me, and I just don’t want to make them regret it.”
Four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers has started the first nine games this season for the Steelers. Fellow veteran Mason Rudolph has served as his backup.
Howard will be in uniform as the team’s QB3 on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Howard returned to practice on October 22, with the Steelers opening his 21-day practice window.
The team could have allowed his 21-day window to pass without activating him. Doing that would have enabled the Steelers to keep additional depth at another position.
But there’s future value in Howard practicing for the rest of 2025. That’s obviously what the quarterback preferred, and the Steelers agreed. The team officially activated the rookie Wednesday.
Howard expressed that he recognizes he likely won’t play this season. But that makes the opportunities he receives in practice all that more important.
“Wednesday, Thursday, Friday are my game days, so I’m out there trying to make every rep as competitive and as real as possible,” Howard said, via Adamski. “I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it so far, but I’ve just got to keep it going. It’s a day-by-day process. I know Rome’s not going to be built in a day, but just if I can get a little bit better every single day, that’s all that matters.”
Over the spring and summer, Howard addressed how valuable it was for him to develop behind Rodgers. Some pundits questioned what kind of mentor Rodgers might be, but Howard has told reporters on multiple occasions that Rodgers has been great to him.
On Thursday, Adamski posted on X that Howard is documenting as much knowledge from Rodgers as possible.
“Will Howard says he has a Word document in which he records any thoughts or nuggets or advice that Aaron Rodgers offers him this season,” wrote Adamski.
The Steelers drafted Howard at No. 185 overall in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. After starting his career at Kansas State, Howard transferred to Ohio State, where he won the national championship during his final college season.
The quarterback led the Big Ten with a 73% completion percentage, 4,010 passing yards and 35 touchdowns while taking Ohio State to a 14-2 record last year.
Howard missed the 2025 preseason and spent the first 10 weeks of the regular season on IR because of a hand injury.
Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving could play for the first time in six weeks Sunday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to be getting two crucial offensive weapons back and not a moment too soon.
Running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Chris Godwin each returned to practice, putting them in line to return for the Bucs’ upcoming potential Super Bowl preview against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
The Buccaneers (6-3) have lost two of three and are averaging just 18.3 points per game in that span. They managed just 258 yards of total offense in their 28-23 home loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Godwin has played two games while recovering from his catastrophic broken ankle last season and also while dealing with a fibula injury. He hasn’t played since the Bucs’ 38-35 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 5 and has just six catches for 52 yards this year.
The Bucs still lead the NFC South by 1.5 games over the Carolina Panthers.
Irving (foot/shoulder) has not played since Tampa Bay’s 31-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 28 but was the first to come back to practice Wednesday.
The fact he is getting close is great news for the Bucs, since Irving is still third on the team in all-purpose yards (430) even though he’s missed the past five games.
“It was good to have him back out there, and it’s the first step to work his way back,” Bowles said. “He’s going to have to take a hit at some point. I mean, he’s lifting and everything, he’s running, but it’s a progression and we’ll see how he does.
Rachaad White has been filling in as Tampa Bay’s RB1 while Irving has been out, and Tampa Bay has averaged just 80.4 rushing-yards per game over the past five. The Bucs had averaged 124 ground yards per game before Irving’s injury, with the second-year back accounting for a team-high 59.3 rushing yards per game.
Staying balanced is integral to Tampa Bay’s success, especially while playing against the Bills. Buffalo ranks 30th in the NFL in run defense (147.6 rushing-yards against per game), and it just was gashed for 197 rushing yards in its 30-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Godwin is a trickier injury due to the nature of his injury, though Bucs coach Todd Bowles did address Godwin’s ailment Wednesday.
“It’s the fibula,” Bowles said, according to Joe Bucs Fan. “He’s working his way back. He’s making good strides and we’ll continue to work with him and see how he goes.
“He’s running, yes. He’s definitely running. … I wish I could tell you [if it is a pain tolerance issue]. I really do.”
That Godwin was back at practice, and earned a limited distinction, is a good sign based on what Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week.
“The Bucs are hopeful Godwin will be ready for the stretch run, ensuring he has no setbacks,” Fowler reported, while stating the ninth-year wideout would not play in Buffalo. “There’s some level of mystery surrounding this one, but the team is being careful with him and will see how he responds over the next few weeks.”