We were anticipating quarterback Will Howard making his Pittsburgh Steelers debut in the preseason Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.
However, Howard's debut was thwarted thanks to a finger injury suffered at practice that came on a quarterback-center exchange.
The injury was later revealed to be a broken pinky finger and head coach Mike Tomlin noted that Howard was week-to-week and will likely avoid surgery.
"He's looking at his options. I'll have more information when it's definitive, but he's certainly out this week. It appears to be non-surgical, and so we'll see," Tomlin said.
Will Howard injury update
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Howard's timeline for recovery is "at least three weeks," which leaves the rookie in danger of missing the entire preseason.
That said, Tomlin did not rule out Howard returning before the exhibition slate ends.
"Tomlin doesn't rule out Will Howard (broken finger) playing at some point in the preseason," ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported.
Howard has no doubt shown some flashes in practice, but it's hard to gauge just how far along he truly is until he sees live action in a preseason game.
For now, Howard is listed as third on the Steelers' first unofficial depth chart, which puts him ahead of Skylar Thompson and behind starter Aaron Rodgers and top backup, Mason Rudolph.
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