Mentally sharp after month of 'projects' and 'presentations,' Steelers’ Will Howard eager to come off IR

No, the finger injury Will Howard suffered early during training camp didn’t compel the rookie quarterback to give up his playing career and try out coaching. And, no, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t running Howard through any sort of rookie initiation akin to an intern not quite entrusted with any of the “real” duties of his job.

But, yes, Howard has been out in front of his peers — as he put it — “putting on little presentations,” or — as his position coach terms it — “special projects for Aaron (Rodgers).”

Barred from participating on the field during practices, Howard has been tackling some unique methods for staying engaged and fostering his development into an NFL quarterback.

“I’ve had a lot of projects that they were having me do,” Howard said Tuesday from UPMC Rooney Sports Complex before Steelers players dispersed for their idle week. “Just little presentations, things I can put together for Aaron, whether it’s scouting different things out on (an upcoming opponents’) defense or looking at what (the Steelers offense has) been doing, self-scout stuff — anything I can help out with here and there.

“And then they set me up with my own little computer (upstairs at team headquarters), so I can do some work.”

After an impressive summer of organized team activities and minicamp that belied his status as a sixth-round pick but moreso reflected his resume as the starting quarterback for the most recent college champions, Howard suffered a hand fracture less than two weeks into training camp. He was unable to play in any of the Steelers’ preseason games or take part in on-field practice reps.

For a rookie on a roster with two established veteran quarterbacks, the preseason was Howard’s best opportunity to show what he can do during games and practices.

“We expected him to go into the preseason and perform very well,” Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth said. “And it was disappointing that we didn’t get a chance to see that come to fruition.

“But he’s maximized this time that he’s had. I think he’s continued to improve physically and mentally. So whenever he’s available, and if he’s able to come back and practice at any point, I’m sure he’ll be ready to go.”

That could come as soon as Monday when the Steelers return from the bye weekend for a “bonus” practice. Howard has sat out the minimum four games required of IR, and in the interim the Steelers’ No. 3 quarterback — Skylar Thompson — himself went on IR.

In other words, not only could Howard’s development be best fostered by coming off IR. By now, the Steelers might just need him. They are theoretically at a disadvantage because they have not been dressing an “emergency” No. 3 QB. (Veteran Logan Woodside is on the practice squad but has not been called up for any game yet.)

More germane to Howard’s prospects of coming off IR soon, though, is that he’s by all indications healthy. And more than that, he’s in better shape now than he was before the injury. Howard’s physical appearance even looks more svelte, and he said he’s lost more than 5 pounds and was down to 237 on Monday.

“I’m feeling really good right now and really feeling good about the change to my body and where I’m at there,” Howard said. “So, I’m excited to just get back and get some physical reps and be back with the boys.”

Howard emphasized it wasn’t his decision regarding IR and that he is patient in waiting for an opportunity. He has been throwing and said his hand is back to feeling healthy.

“I’ve been feeling pretty much normal for a good bit now,” Howard said.

The Steelers had Howard on what he called “my IR development plan” over the past four weeks. It’s involved the standard physical rehab but also plenty of study work, all with the support of the 21-year NFL veteran Rodgers.

Howard said some of the presentation/project work he has taken on was inspired by the de facto internship Rodgers himself did as a rookie for the Green Bay Packers in 2005 when he was a protege to another then-future Hall of Famer, Brett Favre.

“All of it’s really teaching me how to watch film and how to read NFL defenses and how to categorize them and what we’re calling everything,” Howard said. “So, every little thing like that has been helping me a lot.

“It’s definitely unique. It was obviously not ideal, the circumstance (injury) that happened to me. So, we kind of had to adapt and adjust. I didn’t want to just be sitting here and doing nothing the whole time. So I was big on making sure I stayed involved so that I’ll be ready for whenever I’m called upon. Hopefully, that’s sooner rather than later.”