We don’t know if the Steelers will need to put Will Howard on IR, but once there, he could stay there for the entire season. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette speculates that the team could do just that. A player only needs to have an injury that would keep them out for roughly four games to qualify. There is no rule stipulating that a team must designate a player from return once healthy.
And with the play of Skylar Thompson during the preseason, Dulac argues it “will also allow the Steelers to place rookie Will Howard on the reserve injured list to start the season and not worry about leaving him unprotected”.