Steelers Rookie Will Howard Reveals Injury Details

As training camp comes to a close at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard talked with reporters about how he's dealing with his hand injury and remaining prepared despite not currently participating on the field.

"It sucks," Howard said. "Every ounce of me wants to be out there playing, and I'm just kinda sitting here doing nothing. It kills me ... it was just a freak accident. But, you know, things happen, and it's about how you respond to it, and how you handle the adversity. I wish I could go back and change it, I wish I could be out there playing, but the fact of the matter is it happened and I gotta continue to stay locked in and make sure I'm still on my stuff and locked in during meetings and during practice and still getting all the mental reps, because this time is still important for me."

Howard fractured a bone in his right hand during practice last Tuesday, which kept him out of the Steelers' preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The 24-year-old stated that the injury occurred when he took the snap on a center exchange and that he initially thought he jammed his finger before later realizing that he couldn't grip the ball properly.

Though the injury is more serious than he originally believed, it won't require surgery. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Howard would be sidelined for at least three weeks, though head coach Mike Tomlin kept the door cracked open for the sixth-round pick to play later in the preseason by declaring his availability as week-to-week during a press conference last week.