Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy is known for his history of working with great quarterbacks. In 2026, he's working with two young signal-callers in Drew Allar and Will Howard. While veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers will take the reins under center once the regular season kicks off, the Pittsburgh head coach will also need to try and solve the mystery as to who the next franchise quarterback is for the Black and Gold. Along with that, the team will look to find playoff success this upcoming season.
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New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy walks with his arm around quarterback Aaron Rodgers at 2026 training camp.
For years, Pittsburgh's veteran quarterback worked with their new head coach and had success with the Green Bay Packers, including a Super Bowl XLV victory over the Steelers. Now, they look to rejuvenate things in the Steel City as the two are back together for what Rodgers has said is his final season in the league. The one thing playing into the favor of the young quarterbacks on the roster is they get a year, or in Howard's case another year, to learn behind a four-time NFL MVP.
Following practice on Wednesday, Allar spoke to the media about a new feeling of confidence in a post from Tim Benz of TribLive on his X account. While the rookie did everything he could do to change the narrative around him following an underwhelming college career, many are still skeptical about what the former Penn State quarterback is capable of following his play against backups in preseason. It is a double-edged sword with preseason. However, it is better Allar look efficient, versus continuing the status quo that people saw from him in college.
“I feel like it’s definitely slowing down,” Allar said. “Even the play-callers are slowing down in my headset. I feel like when I first got here, it was just very fast and I really didn’t know what was being said in that headset. Now I feel pretty confident, especially when you get into game planning, it makes it a lot easier.”
One of the big things Allar needed to work on coming out of college was his footwork. McCarthy recently mentioned that there are things in practice players try to emulate, like in a game, but it is not as close as the coaching staff would like it to be for Allar -- not yet anyways. However, For a rookie who had a lot to build up mechanically throughout the 2026 offseason, it seems like the progress is starting to come along for the former Nittany Lion after this latest quote.
Steelers fans should be encouraged that Allar has a new sign of confidence, and that the young QB is feeling confident at the next level this early in his professional career.
Steelers Need A Meticulous Approach For Growth And Development
It is imperative for this new coaching regime in Pittsburgh to be very detailed in their efforts to find the next franchise quarterback for the organization -- something that they have not found much success with since drafting Ben Roethlisberger. While Allar still has plenty of work ahead of him and it is highly unlikely he plays in meaningful, regular season games in 2026, the comments made above are a step in the right direction. The one thing he also has playing in his favor is the benefit of being able to learn a year under Rodgers as mentioned. That kind of experience is something that could turn out to be priceless in his growth.
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Steelers' Drew Allar throws a pass during his first NFL action against the Green Bay Packers during the 2026 preseason.
While Pittsburgh's preseason opener last week was definitely a good first step, Allar will get some more looks on Friday against the New York Jets. Hopefully, for a guy that is starting to gain some confidence, that continues in his second career exhibition game. If Allar is going to succeed, the organization has to keep the approach they have now to allow him to blossom and show his full potential.
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