It only took two preseason games for Will Howard to lose Steelers fans' faith

The Pittsburgh Steelers were shut out by the New York Jets in Week 2 of the preseason, which is never an ideal sentence. Preseason results don't really matter, but the Jets have their reputation for a reason. To be so thoroughly outclassed, even with their top two quarterbacks on the shelf, speaks poorly of the Steelers.

It's also worth noting the unique dynamics around the Steelers' QB room. Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph are technically their QB1 and QB2, but there's much more excitement locally around Will Howard and Drew Allar, who are broadly viewed as the future of the organization. Well, at least that excitement existed before Friday night's dour affair. It's a bit less palpable now.

Will Howard was a deer in headlights against the Jets' suspect defense

Howard got the start for Pittsburgh in Week 2, completing 10-of-15 passes for 74 yards. That's all fine enough, but Howard also took a sack and threw two interceptions — against a Jets defense that did not record a single interception all of last season.

Howard did not play in the preseason a year ago, nor did he see regular season action for the Steelers. So, despite the fanbase's eager appraisal of his upside, Howard hasn't gotten many opportunities to actually put good football on tape. That he failed to do so in such spectacular fashion, against a notoriously inept Jets team, takes the air out of the proverbial balloon.

A single bad preseason performance is not an indictment on Howard's development, much less his entire career. This could allow blow over quickly. Howard won a national championship at Ohio State, showcasing the type of poise and point guard instincts that Pittsburgh traditionally values in its quarterbacks. He has a lot more to his résumé than the average sixth-round pick, even without an NFL regular season snap to his name.

That said, there is also a reason Howard fell to the sixth round. He was never the most toolsy quarterback, and he spent most of Friday's start making checkdown passes and, well, running point. He does not stretch and stress-test the defense very often. If he can't play bare-bones football without turning it over and looking frazzled under pressure, that's going to be a problem.

Moreover, Howard can't help but feel newcomer Drew Allar nipping at his heels.

Drew Allar is clearly the QB of the future in Pittsburgh

The flip side of Howard struggling is the emergence of Drew Allar, Pittsburgh's reigning third-round pick. Allar was viewed by many as a long-term project coming out of Penn State. He has always had a big arm and appealing athleticism, but he was deeply inconsistent with his mechanics and processing in college.

Allar didn't exactly light up the scoreboard on Friday; Pittsburgh was shut out. He was less efficient than Howard, completing 11-of-23 passes for 110 yards. He also took three sacks. There's plenty for Allar to clean up, but on the heels of his excellent showing in Week 1 of the preseason, Allar certainly has more momentum.

Notably, he averaged 11 yards per completion against New York, compared to 7.4 for Howard. He also made this throw — a throw Howard simply does not have in his toolkit.

Allar's ability to convert on broken plays, to stretch the field and punish lapsed coverage downfield, is a trait typically reserved for the game's elite quarterbacks. Allar will need to take fewer sacks and rein in his approach at times, but the boldness is an asset, not a weakness. The best quarterbacks are those who look to pounce whenever an opportunity arises. You need a certain appetite for risk in the NFL, which Allar very much has.

As things stand, Allar appears to offer so much more dynamism and upside than Howard. The latter's experience in the offense — even if it's just in practice — could mean he still exceeds Allar on the depth chart come Week 1 of the regular season. In reality, neither quarterback will play in the regular season unless Rodgers and Rudolph get hurt, or if Rodgers gets hurt and Rudolph bombs. Rudolph has done well in past stints as Pittsburgh's spot starter, and Mike McCarthy can still fashion a functional offense. So this is a development year for both of Pittsburgh's younger arms.

Come next season, however, once Rodgers retires and the floodgates of opportunity open up, it's hard not to view Allar as the leader in the clubhouse. Pittsburgh could take a talented rookie QB in the first round next April and nullify this entire debate, but Allar's talent is worth exploring. That inevitably would come at the cost of Howard, who has all the hallmarks of a career backup.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow