The Pittsburgh Steelers have now finished their first preseason under the guidance of new head coach Mike McCarthy as they came up short in a 28-27 loss on the road to the Buffalo Bills. Now he and his staff will have to make some critical decisions in cutting down the roster to 53 players ahead of the 6:00 PM ET deadline on August 30. Throughout the preseason, many rookies had their chance to showcase their talents. The positional group the staff had one of their closest eyes on was quarterback.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy with his two quarterbacks before a home preseason game against the New York Jets in 2026.
Drew Allar and Will Howard both put on an encouraging display in their preseason opening win, 28-9 over the Green Bay Packers. They followed it up the next week against the New York Jets where they had underwhelming performances, getting shut out on offense. Their final chance came in Buffalo, and now veteran Aaron Rodgers is set to take back control ahead of Week 1 in September.
On Friday, former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was on his Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast to recap the final preseason game and discuss some headlines ahead of the start of the regular season. The quarterback position is something he has not been shy about discussing when asked about it. He made comments that back both young quarterbacks, but thinks one of them is a favorite to have a possible long-term future due to their upside.
“If you believe in Drew Allar's upside... I think Drew has a lot of upside,” said Roethlisberger. “I think Will is better now, I think Drew has the potential to be better down the road. Watching Drew throw is beautiful. The way the ball comes off his hand, the zip he has on it, the ease that he throws with. It’s fun to watch.”
Howard had the misfortune of not receiving any playing time in the 2025 preseason due to a hand injury. He was able to sit behind Rodgers for a year and gain some knowledge about the game at the NFL level despite not being on the field. Given what both he and Allar showed in the preseason, the team appears ready to have four quarterbacks on the roster, including Mason Rudolph, even though Roethlisberger feels it could be a risky move.
Steelers Might Finally Have Their Franchise QB Again In Allar
The biggest knock on Pittsburgh's 2026 third-round draft pick during his time in college at Penn State was his inability to win big games. When the coaching staff began to develop him in the spring, one of their biggest focal points was his footwork. It appears he took their advice, as he looked a lot smoother in the three preseason games compared to his time as a Nittany Lion.
One of the biggest storylines heading into the 2027 NFL season will center around who will take over as the starting signal-caller in the Steel City after Rodgers officially retires. The organization has not had a long-term answer at the quarterback position since Roethlisberger was on the field. The one thing that Allar does have that plays as a big advantage for his future is that he was a prospect described to have all the physical tools an NFL franchise wants in a quarterback. Albeit just preseason, he did all he could to give the franchise optimism moving forward that he could develop into their long-term answer.
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Steelers' Drew Allar warms up for a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
Quarterback is the most important position on the offensive side of the ball in the NFL if a team is looking to have sustained success. While the Black and Gold have not had luck as to who that next future guy will be at the position since Roethlisberger retired from the game, they may have a chance to strike gold with Allar. McCarthy is well-known for developing many great quarterbacks in his career. If they have any feeling they have their answer in Allar, he can change the narrative of his football career while in the Steel City.
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