The Pittsburgh Steelers have pinned their immediate hopes once again to Aaron Rodgers this season. But if there is a long-term solution currently on their roster behind center, it will be either Will Howard or Drew Allar.
Although it’s still early in training camp for each quarterback, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly has already given the edge to Allar.
“Will Howard has a long way to go,” Kaboly said on The Steelers Collective. “He’ll make your occasional good throw, but he’ll make you multiple poor decisions and poor throws.
“I would think Drew Allar has played a little bit better than him right now.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo offered similar analysis.
“Allar is better than I expected him to be. I think he and Howard are close,” said Fittipaldo, via Steelers Depot’s Matthew Marczi. “After one week, I’m a little bit higher on Drew Allar.”
Howard is entering his second NFL season. But it was about this time last year — early August — where he suffered a hand injury which sidelined him the rest of the month. Howard didn’t play in the preseason and then didn’t get any action during the regular season.
Howard is still inexperienced while Allar is a true rookie. The Steelers selected Allar at No. 76 overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Drew Allar Better Than Will Howard Early in Steelers Training Camp?
GettyPittsburgh Steelers insider Mark Kaboly argued Drew Allar has been better than Will Howard early in NFL training camp.
It wouldn’t really be shocking for for Allar to be slightly better than Howard early this month. Yes, Howard received a year of tutelage under Rodgers and fellow veteran Mason Rudolph. But his practice repetitions were limited as the QB3 after he returned from injury.
When the Steelers open the preseason on August 13, Howard will be making his debut in the exhibition season just as Allar will.
Howard also doesn’t have the same raw talent — mostly arm strength — as Allar. The Steelers grabbed Howard at No. 185 overall in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Allar having the early edge over Howard is good news for the more recent Steelers draft pick. It would help his development if he’s the QB3 instead of the QB4 this fall.
The competition, though, is far from finished. Even though it sounds as though Allar is in the lead, Howard doesn’t sound very far behind.
Will Steelers Keep Four Quarterbacks?
GettyThe Pittsburgh Steelers have a quarterback question to answer before the 2026 regular season.
NFL teams don’t usually keep four quarterbacks. However, Allar and Howard aren’t battling for the final roster spot.
As a third-round rookie, Allar will be on the Steelers 2026 team. Obviously, so will Rodgers. That leaves Howard and Mason Rudolph potentially fighting for the other role, likely QB2.
Rudolph has the significant edge in experience over Howard. How the 2024 national champion quarterback performs in the preseason could impact whether the Steelers are confident in him replacing Rudolph on the roster.
But there is another scenario — keeping four quarterbacks. Steelers general manager Omar Khan didn’t rule out the possibility when training camp started last week.
By doing that, the Steelers would be sacrificing a roster spot somewhere else. But it would enable them to continue to evaluate Allar and Howard together during the regular season and keep Rudolph’s experience on the bench for emergencies.
This also all depends on the health of all four quarterbacks. The pending decision the Steelers face behind center only remains if the team doesn’t suffer any injuries at the position during the preseason.
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