The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a weird spot when it comes to the grand landscape of the NFL. There are clear Super Bowl contenders in the league, as well as obvious playoff teams, and then there are teams that probably don't have much of a chance to do much during the 2026 season. The Steelers are somewhere in the middle of that. The organization wants to continue to win in the present while also preparing for the future and stacking the roster with talent. The big position in question for that equation is quarterback, and new head coach Mike McCarthy is trying to build a future franchise quarterback in Drew Allar.
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Steelers' Drew Allar looks at his locker for the first time before rookie minicamp in 2026.
There is hope that Allar can somehow turn into a franchise quarterback after the rough end to his college career. However, all fans know that won't be happening in 2026. The young quarterback is going to be developed by McCarthy and Quarterbacks Coach Tom Arth, while also learning under Aaron Rodgers, hopefully. McCarthy has spoken about what Allar needs to improve upon and how the coaching staff is going to improve his game, and the franchise is retooling most of the quarterback's mechanics and making him unlearn what he did at Penn State.
This is viewed as a positive by some, but people that have been closer to the NFL seem to not like the approach. Former NFL quarterback Ben DiNucci posted to X on Thursday morning about the situation, and he was skeptical of it while warning the Steelers. DiNucci has since deleted the tweet, maybe because it was somewhat critical of his former head coach.
"[The] NFL isn't a league where you can just 're-upload' fundamentals and mechanics," DiNucci wrote. "Hope the Steelers don't do more harm than good before he even has a chance to figure out how the NFL works."
Nothing was too crazy about this post and it definitely did not need to be deleted, but McCarthy was DiNucci's first head coach in the NFL while the two were with the Dallas Cowboys, so maybe he felt guilty about airing out his take online. DiNucci was also obviously a quarterback under McCarthy, so he knows more about how the "quarterback guru" operates and functions.
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Bills' Josh Allen and Dion Dawkins high five during a game in the 2024 NFL season.
One quarterback that went through something similar upon entering the NFL was Josh Allen. The Buffalo Bills saw that he had the build and the raw skills to be a successful quarterback. The coaching staff and organization spared no expense when it came to reworking his throwing motion and his body mechanics. Allen was also at somewhat of a disadvantage as he got on the field during the first week of the regular season in his rookie year, and that will most likely not be the case for Allar.
Allar shouldn't have to worry about seeing the field during his rookie season, as long as Rodgers signs. Rodgers would obviously be the starting quarterback, while either Mason Rudolph or Will Howard would be the primary backup.
Steelers' Drew Allar Shouldn't Have To Worry About Being Led Astray
Allar is in great hands in Pittsburgh with McCarthy as his head coach. McCarthy has tons of history when it comes to coaching some of the best players that have ever thrown a ball on an NFL field, and Arth is also a very reputable quarterbacks coach. He worked with Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers for two seasons before coming to Pittsburgh.
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Former Chargers pass game specialist Tom Arth.
Allar will be given a great chance to succeed, and the quarterback may want to switch things up based off of the disastrous end to his college career.
What do you think about this assessment from one of McCarthy's former quarterbacks? Do you have belief in Allar? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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