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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard will not be active for the Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be activating rookie quarterback Will Howard soon. But it won’t be before the Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Steelers left Howard, who was questionable to play Sunday, on injured reserve when the team announced its inactive list for Week 10. Mike Tomlin’s club made the same decision with defensive back Cory Trice Jr., who was also questionable ahead of the Chargers showdown.
Pittsburgh must activate Howard and Trice from IR before either can return to play in a game.
The decision not to active either players isn’t super surprising. But the Steelers have an open roster spot, which left open the possibility of Howard or Trice returning before Sunday’s contest.
For Week 10, the Steelers included guard Isaac Seumalo, wide receiver Scotty Miller, safety Jabrill Peppers, linebacker Cole Holcomb, defensive tackle Brodric Martin and defensive lineman Logan Lee on their inactive list.
The Chargers will host the Steelers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday Night Football. Kickoff will occur at 8:20 pm ET.
Steelers Must Activate QB Will Howard Soon
The rookie signal-caller hasn’t appeared in a game with the Steelers, even dating back to the preseason. Howard suffered a right hand injury early in August and didn’t play in the exhibition campaign.
The quarterback then began the season on IR. Howard, though, returned to practice on October 22.
That move began Howard’s 21-day practice window to return from IR. If the Steelers don’t activate Howard by November 12, he will finish the season on injured reserve.
Howard fully practiced ahead of Week 10. That appeared to leave open the possibility that the quarterback would be back for the Chargers matchup. But the Steelers seem content to wait a few more days to potentially move the signal-caller off IR.
When Howard returns (assuming he does), he will be sit at No. 3 on the Steelers’ QB depth chart. Mason Rudolph is currently Pittsburgh’s backup for Aaron Rodgers.
Steelers Missing 4 Players in Week 10
The Steelers didn’t have any questionable players not on injured reserve for Week 10. The active players the team has on the injury report either became full-go or were ruled out Friday.
In that group, the team ruled out four players, all of whom were on Pittsburgh’s inactive list — Seumalo, Miller, Peppers and Holcomb.
Seumalo is the most significant loss. Without the starting left guard, the Steelers will start Spencer Anderson, who usually serves as a sixth offensive lineman in the jumbo package.
It will be interesting to see if offensive coordinator Arthur Smith still utilizes the jumbo package versus the Chargers. The formation has been very effective for the Steelers ground attack, but with Anderson already in the starting lineup, the team would have to deploy its No. 7 lineman in such formations Sunday night.
Without Peppers, the Steelers will likely again lean on Jalen Ramsey and Kyle Dugger at safety. But unlike last week, the defense will also have veteran safety Chuck Clark available.
Seumalo is nursing a pectoral injury while Peppers has a quad issue.
Miller is dealing with a finger ailment. Wide receivers Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Ke’Shawn Williams will provide depth behind D.K. Metcalf and Calvin Austin III without Miller.
At linebacker, Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, who are coming off big performances last week, could play more with Holcomb sidelined due to an illness.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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