Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Steelers face a critical decision on its quarterback depth chart this summer.
- Aaron Rodgers is locked in, but the battle for backup and developmental roles has grown complicated.
- Drew Allar was selected in the third round, but is currently QB4. Does this mean his roster spot is up for grabs?
When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar out of Penn State in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the expectation was that he'd be a project. Unlike your kid's science experiment, however, the Steelers can't afford to just shelve Allar until the last minute and hope their grade improves. Rather, Allar's development will take a lot of work and likely playing time if the Steelers want him to reach his full potential.
This is where the Steelers depth chart comes in. While it's not uncommon for NFL teams to carry four quarterbacks into OTAs and even training camp, it is rare for them to keep all four QBs for the regular season. Mike McCarthy has made no secret that he only intends on keeping three of his quarterbacks, which is why the most recent reporting surrounding Will Howard and Mason Rudolph ought to concern Allar.
Steelers QB depth chart suggests Drew Allar is already in trouble
With Aaron Rodgers back in tow, Allar slides down to QB4 on the depth chart. Again, this would be fine if the Steelers planned on, say, trading Rudolph or Howard. Rudolph was thought to be the odd man out given his veteran status and Pittsburgh's belief that Howard can earn QB2 reps. To some extent, that is still the case.
Position | |
|---|---|
QB1 | Aaron Rodgers |
QB2 | Will Howard |
QB3 | Mason Rudolph |
QB4 | Drew Allar |
Per Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports, the Steelers plan at quarterback isn't all that difficult to understand. Rodgers is QB1, obviously. Behind him, Pittsburgh will give Howard every chance to earn the QB2 job, but he's going to have to blow the coaching staff away both in practice and preseason games. If not, the backup spot is Rudolph's job to lose.
But then where does that leave Howard and Allar, both of whom are being groomed as a possible heir-apparent to Rodgers? There is some wiggle room, as the Steelers could carry three quarterbacks on their active roster and relegate a fourth to the practice squad. However, there's a chance that either Howard or Allar could then be picked up off waivers by another NFL team. That's not exactly what they have in mind.
Drew Allar is raw arm talent with bad mechanics, and that's a problem
I'm going deep down the rabbit hole here, but let's say Howard performs well in training camp, but not good enough to make the Steelers comfortable enough to make him the backup. Thus, Rudolph would slide up a spot. That means Howard would likely serve as QB3, either on the active roster or on the practice squad. Unless McCarthy and Omar Khan can find a way to sneak Allar or Howard on the practice squad, both are highly-regarded enough around the league to draw some interest as a waiver claim.
And while Howard didn't play in a preseason game last season, he's still a year ahead of Allar, whose footwork and mechanics need a ton of work. McCarthy spent the vast majority of rookie mini camp working with the Penn State product on that specifically.
The best-case scenario for the Steelers is that Howard outperforms expectations in training camp to the point McCarthy feels comfortable making him the backup. This would then make Rudolph a trade asset. But until then, Allar is a third-round pick with some uncertainty surrounding him, and rightly so. No one is guaranteed a spot on a roster this talented.
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