The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room was dented Tuesday as it emerged that one of its rising signal callers suffered an injury setback. 

Will Howard, who was selected by the Steelers in the sixth round of April’s NFL Draft, has suffered a fracture in his hand after banging it during practice, according to Ian Rapoport. 

While the young quarterback is awaiting further tests, it is not expected that he will be required to undergo surgery. However, he is still expected to be ruled out for at least three weeks with the 2025 season on the horizon. 

After spending 2024 at Ohio State following four years at Kansas State, Howard is entering his rookie year with the Steelers under the mentorship of Aaron Rodgers. 

The four-time MVP, who signed a one-year, $13.65million deal with Pittsburgh this offseason, is expected to suit up as Mike Tomlin’s starter under center. However, the 41-year-old had already appointed himself as the rookie’s mentor. 

‘I wanna help Will Howard as much as possible.. If I can help him become a better player that would be an incredible achievement.. He’s such a good kid and I’m really looking forward to helping him out this season’ Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show in June. 

Steelers quarterback Will Howard suffered a fracture in his hand after banging it in practice

Veteran Aaron Rodgers had taken it upon himself to act as a mentor to the rookie in preseason

And Howard, for his part, has lapped up any crumb of wisdom the veteran has offered as he looks to cement himself as Rodgers’ successor.  

‘He’s been so awesome to me so far,’ said Howard, via CBS Sports. ‘Obviously, we’ve only gotten to be together for about three days, but I got a really good feeling about him, about this whole QB room. I think we already, in this past week, meshed really well, hit it off. I think we got a good vibe, good group. Aaron has been so willing to help me. He’s like, “Literally, as much or as little as you want me to help you, I’ll be there.”

‘He’s already given me tips, little things here and there in the meeting room, on the field, in my drops, different little things. Obviously, I can’t do the things that he can do mechanically, so I don’t want to replicate that too much because that’s pretty unique. But for the most part, everything I can learn from that guy is invaluable.’

The other quarterbacks listed on the Steelers’ roster are Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. It’s currently unclear if the team intends to sign another in Howard’s absence. 

Howard is listed as the third-string quarterback, behind Rodgers and Rudolph, on the team’s initial depth chart.