Roethlisberger: Steelers Can't Afford To Roll The Dice With Big Practice Squad Gamble

The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent years searching for the quarterback who might eventually carry the franchise beyond Aaron Rodgers. After one preseason game, Ben Roethlisberger sees a possibility Pittsburgh has rarely been accused of having since he retired: perhaps there are two young answers worth protecting at the same time.

Roethlisberger is nowhere near ready to declare that Will Howard or Drew Allar will become the Steelers' next franchise quarterback. One August night against the Green Bay Packers would be a remarkably thin foundation for that conclusion, and he made a point of pumping the brakes before the excitement could run too far.

What he saw was apparently enough to change another part of the conversation. Pittsburgh entered camp with four quarterbacks and an obvious numbers problem looming at the end of August. Rodgers sits first on the initial depth chart, followed by Mason Rudolph, Howard and Allar. Keeping all four would consume another valuable spot on the 53-man roster, but trying to sneak one of the younger quarterbacks onto the practice squad carries its own danger.

Roethlisberger now believes that danger is too great.

During a recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former Steelers quarterback explained why Howard's and Allar's preseason opener left him increasingly optimistic about Pittsburgh's long-term outlook.

“I would be incredibly encouraged as a Steeler fan to say I think our future is there. But let’s be certain… I love the fact you have two options, 100%. You can’t afford to put either one of those on practice squad. Somebody’s scooping them up,” Roethlisberger said.

The mechanics of getting either quarterback onto the practice squad support his concern. Pittsburgh could not simply move Howard or Allar there after final cuts and keep him away from the rest of the league. A player going from the training-camp roster to the practice squad first has to clear waivers, exposing him to every NFL team. Steelers.com specifically addressed that scenario earlier this offseason when discussing the possibility of Pittsburgh carrying Rodgers, Howard and Allar.

Thursday night made volunteering for that gamble considerably less attractive.

Howard finally received his first NFL game action after a finger injury erased his 2025 preseason. He settled in after an uneven beginning and directed an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive during the two-minute drill late in the first half. Pittsburgh has drilled that situation relentlessly during camp, and Howard took the practice-field work into a live game without allowing an imperfect start to linger.

Allar then provided the performance everybody was discussing afterward. The rookie third-round pick completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score. His first completion became a 74-yard catch-and-run by Kaden Wetjen, and Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on three of Allar's possessions.

His electric preseason debut also came with something more encouraging than production. Teammates praised his command and composure, while the rookie looked comfortable operating an offense that Mike McCarthy has spent months rebuilding around detailed quarterback mechanics and decision-making. Allar remains a developmental prospect, but his first NFL evidence was considerably better than the Steelers could have reasonably demanded.

Roethlisberger's caution deserves as much attention as his optimism. Preseason can make future starters out of quarterbacks who are barely remembered by October, and Allar and Howard have combined for exactly one NFL exhibition game of experience. Defenses will change, mistakes will arrive and neither young quarterback has faced anything resembling the problems a regular-season coordinator would design for Rodgers.

The Steelers have two more preseason games to collect a much larger sample, and McCarthy can evaluate more than the stat line. He can study whether Howard continues processing quickly when plays break down, whether Allar's improved mechanics survive pressure and whether either quarterback can reproduce Thursday's composure after a poor series. Pittsburgh does not need a winner between the two nearly as much as it needs evidence that both deserve continued investment.

That possibility creates the roster headache Roethlisberger is anticipating. Rudolph offers the kind of experienced backup protection contenders value behind a veteran starter, while Howard and Allar represent potential answers beyond the Rodgers era. Cutting Rudolph would remove proven NFL experience from the room. Exposing either young quarterback to waivers could allow another organization to claim a developmental player Pittsburgh spent significant time or draft capital acquiring.

Steelers Could Be Forced To Protect Two Futures At Once

For years, Pittsburgh's quarterback questions centered on finding one convincing successor to Roethlisberger. The current problem is almost comically different. If Howard and Allar continue playing well, McCarthy and the front office may have to decide how much roster space they are willing to spend protecting possibilities rather than immediate game-day needs.

Keeping four quarterbacks on the 53 would squeeze another position. A final defensive back, special-teams contributor or offensive lineman could become the casualty of protecting the quarterback room. Those are meaningful costs, especially for a team that expects the bottom of its roster to contribute on Sundays.

Waiving one of the young passers would solve the arithmetic but introduce a risk Pittsburgh cannot control. Another team only needs to like Howard or Allar more than the Steelers like their 53rd player, and Roethlisberger does not believe either quarterback would survive that trip untouched.

There is still plenty of August left to change the conversation. Howard could struggle, Allar could look far more like a rookie in his second appearance or Pittsburgh could find another roster mechanism that changes the equation. Roethlisberger is wisely refusing to turn 60 minutes of preseason football into a franchise declaration.

For the first time in a while, though, the Steelers' long-term quarterback uncertainty may be creating a problem they would happily accept. Roethlisberger spent years watching Pittsburgh search for what came after him. Now he thinks the answer might be sitting in the same meeting room twice, and hiding either one could be the riskiest option of all.

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