BB.STEELERS “GAME CHANGER”: SHOCKING DECISION ON ROOKIE QB WILL HOWARD BEFORE BENGALS – INSIDER: “THE QB ROOM WILL BE TOTALLY ROLLED!”
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Barring injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have three quarterbacks, including rookie Will Howard, on their active roster for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season.
The Steelers announced Wednesday they activated Howard from injured reserve and placed him on the 53-man roster.
November 12 was the final day the team would have been able to activate Howard. The quarterback began his 21-day practice window on October 21.
Last week, Howard fully practiced ahead of the matchup versus the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the Steelers left him off the active roster, still on IR.
To create space for the rookie signal-caller, the Steelers waived running back Trey Sermon from the 53-man roster. Sermon has played in four games with Pittsburgh this season.
Week 11 will be the first time Howard dresses for an NFL game. The rookie quarterback missed the entire exhibition slate and the first 10 weeks of the regular season because of a hand injury.
Also on Wednesday, the Steelers officially announced signing cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to their practice squad. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and other insiders reported the team was adding Samuel to their practice squad.
In a corresponding move, the Steelers released safety Darrick Forrest off the practice squad.
Steelers Activate QB Will Howard, Waive RB Trey Sermon
It would have been rather surprising if the Steelers allowed Howard’s practice window to expire without activating the quarterback. But the team did wait until the last moment to do that, leaving open the possibility that Howard wouldn’t return.
His activation doesn’t mean the rookie quarterback will play anytime soon. Aaron Rodgers has been healthy this season, and Mason Rudolph is firmly entrenched as the team’s backup quarterback.
But with his activation, Howard will continue to practice for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.
Practice isn’t the same as game experience. But the Steelers weren’t able to get a look at Howard in the preseason because of his hand injury, which he sustained during training camp in early August. So, Howard will have to settle for practice repetitions for now.
He should also continue to learn while watching Rodgers play. Depending on how the season ends and what happens next spring, Howard could be in a place to contend for more playing time during 2026.
Steelers Make Slew of Roster Moves Besides Howard’s Activation
To add both Howard and Samuel, the Steelers parted with two veterans — one on offense and another on defense.
Sermon, though, is likely a candidate to return to the team’s practice squad if he clears waivers. The Steelers just signed the running back to the active roster prior to Week 10.
In four games, Sermon played just one offensive snap for Pittsburgh. But he provided running back depth and helped return kickoffs.
The Steelers added Forrest at the end of October when starting safety DeShon Elliott landed on injured reserve. Although Elliott isn’t coming back, the team also acquired Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots at about the same time and moved cornerback Jalen Ramsey to safety.
The team also brought back undrafted rookie safety Sebastian Castro on Monday.
With less of a need at safety, the Steelers moved on from Forrest to take a bit of a flier on Samuel.
