The Pittsburgh Steelers engaged in one of the most entertaining preseason games in recent history, and while getting the win was great, seeing the potential this team has was even better. One such player was veteran quarterback Skylar Thompson, who dominated the night with 233 passing yards and three touchdowns.
He wasn’t doing this with much else around him. While we have seen some positives from the backup receivers, none of them have truly emerged as sleepers. The run game was mostly nonexistent, and the offensive line was pretty dreadful.
Sure, Thompson was playing against backups for Jacksonville, but he looked like a composed backup that should be a second-string option somewhere, not a forgotten third man needed due to injury.
For rookie quarterback Will Howard, Thompson’s dream game may be his nightmare.
Unfortunately, this outing was supposed to feature a lot of the sixth-round pick. A hand injury caused him to miss this and, presumably, the rest of the preseason. With Thompson looking like a competent reserve, it could force Howard off the roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could try to stash Will Howard for the year
While Thompson potentially making the team doesn’t necessarily mean Howard won’t be in Pittsburgh at all, there are some routes this team can take to carry both.
The most straightforward way would be for Howard to get moved to injured reserve right now. He would be lost for the season, but he could be comfortably kept with no threat of anyone poaching him (unless someone claimed him while injured, which would be an absolute shock).
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The downside there is that there is no 'designated to return from injury' option, meaning he can’t practice with the team even when healthy. On the flip side, the Steelers can carry him through camp, onto the active roster, and then place him on IR.
They did this with Logan Lee last year and even allowed him to return to practice before the season ended. Not a perfect solution, but it worked.
Perhaps the best option is to just stash him on the practice squad for his rookie year. He can practice and grow before fighting for a roster spot next year.
And no, we shouldn’t be that worried about another team poaching him. He was a sixth-round draft pick and was injured for the entire preseason. No one is jumping up and down at the opportunity to have Howard on their roster right now.
It would be foolish to move on from Thompson if his hot preseason continues. Likewise, this team has plenty of options that don’t involve Howard being their third-string quarterback initially. It seems like his chances of getting cut after the first preseason game are relatively high.