BE.BREAKING: Steelers make a big splash at QB! Will Howard is officially activated, plus 4 big roster moves and the signing of Asante Samuel Jr.!
Mike Moraitis
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Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgh Steelers made four roster moves on Wednesday, and one of them included the activation of quarterback Will Howard.
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The team announced Howard has been activated off injured reserve. Howard had been on the list since the start of the season due to a broken finger. He will now serve as the team’s emergency third quarterback moving forward.
In addition to activating Howard, the Steelers made the signing of cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to the practice squad official.
Also, running back Trey Sermon was waived from the 53-man roster and defensive back Darrick Forest was released from the practice squad.
Samuel has yet to play in a game this season after he had spinal fusion surgery back in April. He was recently cleared to return to action and met with several teams before deciding on joining the Steelers.
Pittsburgh had a clear need at cornerback thanks to the struggles of veteran Darius Slay, who has clearly fallen off in 2025. Samuel figures to challenge Slay for his starting job opposite Joey Porter Jr.
Based on what we’ve seen out of Slay this season, we would expect Samuel to jump Slay on the depth chart, and likely sooner rather than later.
Mike Moraitis
Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who covers the NFL for the Sporting News. Over his nearly two decades covering sports, Mike has also worked for Bleacher Report, USA TODAY and FanSided. He hates writing in the third person.
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