Steelers Rookie Drew Allar Was Excited To Display His Development

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be trying to make sure Aaron Rodgers is ready for the 2026 season, but they have to do a lot more work than that with their quarterback room. With two young guys on the roster, the coaches have to try and develop them in case the front office is unable to draft a quality NFL-ready option in 2027. There is a lot to evaluate on that front, as there's also a competition for the primary backup spot with veteran Mason Rudolph. This is more than just Rodgers' last ride. 

That all involves seeing what rookie quarterback Drew Allar is capable of. He's expected to be the last-string quarterback due to how much of a project he is. His expectations are just to show some level of growth and learn from all the mistakes that he will likely make in training camp and preseason. So far, he seems to be adjusting to the NFL very well with quality throws on a regular basis.

After the Steelers' annual training camp night practice, Allar spoke about how has been improving while giving Rodgers his flowers.

"It felt really good; [the deep ball] is something that I've been working on in terms of the trajectory of the throw," Allar said. "I kind of picked Aaron's brain on it maybe a week ago or so. To be able to finally get the chance to do it in a live setting — even though it's 7-on-7 — but against live [defensive backs] in tight coverage, it felt really good."

Rodgers has been acknowledged for being a good mentor with young quarterbacks, and Allar has been very open about the 42-year-old working with him as well. In his prime, the former four-time MVP arguably had the best deep ball ability in NFL history. Even if he doesn't have the ability and/or desire to chuck it downfield like he used to, he can still pass his secrets along to someone who does have that ability and desire.

Allar was seen as a potential first-round pick prior to the 2025 season, so there's no doubt that the pure, raw ability and potential is there. He just needs a lot of help to get where he needs to be, which he never really had in college. That combined with injuries made him fall to the Steelers in the third round as opposed to being a top pick and the certain future of a quarterback-needy team. 

So far, Allar has been one of the more consistent performers in training camp for the Steelers. Of course, he's mostly working with the scout-team offense, so it's not like he typically has the best of competition, but he appears to be farther along in his development than originally expected. If he keeps up this pace, he may end up being the starter for the 2027 season.

Steelers May Need To Rely On Allar To Escape Quarterback Purgatory

The Steelers are expected to have a similar end to the 2026 season as they have in recent years: either barely missing the playoffs or losing in the first round. With how volatile these college quarterbacks have been lately, odds are that Pittsburgh won't be able to get the top passers of the 2027 draft class if that projection rings true or they do better. That's not a great place to be.

On top of that, the Steelers don't have a lot of cap space for 2027, and they will need to pay that rookie class along with a couple of other extensions. As fun as it would be to sign someone like Baker Mayfield, it's just not realistic at this point. Pittsburgh's best chance at having a quality passer after 2026 is to develop from within, and that likely means Allar gets thrown into the fire then.

What do you think about Allar developing a nice deep ball with help from Rodgers? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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