Steelers' Young QB Battle Has One Sensational Difference That Cannot Be Taught

The Pittsburgh Steelers can improve footwork, speed up processing and spend an entire afternoon fixing a quarterback's eyes. There is one item the coaching staff cannot order from the equipment room: elite arm talent. Matt Williamson believes that distinction is beginning to separate Drew Allar from Will Howard, even if Howard remains the more polished player in several areas right now.

The comparison is becoming increasingly relevant because Pittsburgh has finally received real game tape on both young passers. Howard missed the entire 2025 preseason because of injury, while Allar's final college season ended prematurely with a broken ankle. Their first two exhibitions have therefore given Mike McCarthy information that practice could never completely supply.

Neither prospect has produced a clean verdict. Howard followed an encouraging opener against the Green Bay Packers with a much rougher start against the New York Jets, completing 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards while throwing two interceptions. Allar also cooled considerably after his explosive debut, finishing 11 of 23 for 110 yards against New York. Pittsburgh lost 17-0, giving anyone prepared to crown either young signal-caller after Week 1 of the preseason a useful reminder that August owns an eraser.

Williamson still came away from Allar's uneven second outing encouraged by the trait Pittsburgh cannot manufacture. During a recent episode of SNR Drive, Williamson boiled the comparison down to what happens when the football leaves each passer's hand.

“I still took a lot of positive away from Allar… I look at the two of them and be like, one guy throws a ball like an NFL star and the other guy doesn’t,” Williamson said.

Allar's arm has been the obvious calling card since Pittsburgh selected him 76th overall in April. At 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, the former Penn State passer can drive throws to areas of the field that require less anticipation simply because the football gets there faster. His first preseason appearance demonstrated the upside when everything works together: 10 completions on 13 attempts, 153 yards, two passing touchdowns and another score on the ground.

That does not make him the better quarterback today. Williamson actually sees Howard as possessing the higher floor in several areas, which turns Pittsburgh's comparison into something more interesting than arm strength versus arm strength.

Howard has an additional year inside an NFL organization and has often looked more settled operationally. His college résumé includes a national championship run at Ohio State, and his first preseason outing ended with an eight-play, 80-yard two-minute touchdown drive. The second-year passer's appeal comes from having several traits that look functional already, even if none jumps off the screen quite like Allar's arm.

Williamson explained the difference later in the same discussion.

“He’s got a higher floor than Allar in a lot of areas… But I just, I don’t know where Howard’s calling card is. I don’t know what his A trait is, where at least I know that Drew has one with his arm,” Williamson said.

That is a difficult criticism because Williamson is not arguing Howard lacks NFL tools. His toolbox simply may not have one item with a giant flashing sign above it. Pittsburgh can point to his size, mobility, toughness, composure and improving pocket work, but identifying the one trait capable of consistently tilting NFL snaps in his favor is more complicated.

The physical concern around Howard has existed throughout his evaluation, particularly regarding whether his arm provides enough juice to threaten every area as aggressively as the league's more gifted throwers. Allar does not invite the same discussion. Nobody needs binoculars to locate his best physical trait.

That difference helps explain why Pittsburgh used a third-round selection on Allar only one year after drafting Howard in the sixth. Draft position does not decide careers, but the investments reflect two very different projections. Howard can become valuable by stacking several solid traits until the complete package works. Allar gives McCarthy a more obvious centerpiece around which to build if his mechanics and decision-making catch up.

His second preseason performance showed why the word “if” remains necessary. Allar took three sacks, completed fewer than half his attempts and missed opportunities against the Jets. McCarthy also acknowledged afterward that a healthier rushing attack and different early-down route selection could have helped him against man coverage, but the rookie still had plenty of corrections belonging to him.

The encouraging part for Pittsburgh is that arm talent does not disappear after a bad Friday night. Accuracy can fluctuate, reads can arrive late and protection can break down, but the physical ceiling Williamson sees remains attached.

Steelers Have Two Very Different Developmental Bets

Pittsburgh does not actually need Howard and Allar to develop identically. McCarthy's job is finding which strengths can become reliable enough to survive Sundays, and the two young passers offer very different starting points.

Howard may be closer to providing competent quarterback play across a broader collection of areas. If his decision-making, pocket movement and command continue improving, the absence of one spectacular physical trait may never prevent him from becoming a useful NFL starter. Plenty of quarterbacks have built long careers by consistently doing six things well instead of one thing absurdly well.

Allar presents the opposite temptation. The arm gives Pittsburgh something rare enough to dream on, but a quarterback does not become a star merely because the football sounds different leaving his hand. McCarthy still has to turn the feet, eyes, timing and processing into a stable platform for that talent.

Williamson's comparison is ultimately about ceiling rather than a depth-chart winner today. Howard may currently offer more stability, while Allar owns the trait that makes evaluators wonder what happens if everything else catches up.

The Steelers can teach plenty between now and whenever they need their next starting quarterback. Allar already brought the one lesson McCarthy cannot teach with him.

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