Steelers Make Roster Move Hinting at Will Howard's Return

Woodside's Steelers Tenure

Pittsburgh signed Woodside just before the preseason began after Howard sustained a hand injury during training camp.

As the Steelers' fourth healthy quarterback and one of three who was active throughout the preseason since Aaron Rodgers didn't play, Woodside appeared in all three of the team's exhibition games. During that span, he completed eight of his 15 attempts for 83 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

Woodside never stood much of a chance to make Pittsburgh's 53-man roster as its third signal ahead of Skylar Thompson after Howard was placed on IR, and he was ultimately released.

The Steelers re-signed Woodside to their practice squad after Thompson sustained a hamstring injury in the lead-up to Week 1, which resulted in a trip to IR before Week 2.

What This Move Means for Howard

With Woodside no longer in the picture, it would appear that Howard's making substantial progress towards being activated from IR.

The next step would be to open the rookie quarterback's 21-day practice window while he remains on IR and gauge his readiness from that point forward.

The Steelers hadn't elevated Woodside from the practice squad to serve as their emergency No. 3 option behind center on game days, perhaps leaving them a bit vulnerable to injuries at the position, but Howard would be expected to fill that role behind Rodgers and Mason Rudolph once he's added to the 53-man roster down the line.

It's possible that Thompson could also have his own practice window opened in the near future, which would create a potential roster conundrum for Pittsburgh, but the team will sort out that issue when and if the situation comes down to it.

There was some thought heading into the year that the Steelers may stash Howard on IR and have him essentially redshirt throughout his rookie campaign, but that plan more or less fell by the wayside once Thompson went down with his injury.

Pittsburgh would have to make an additional 53-man roster move in order to open up a spot for Howard if he's activated, though it would be worthwhile in order to hand him some much-needed live reps at practice for the remainder of the campaign after he missed out on a golden opportunity during the preseason while he was on the mend.