The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly locking in young quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar onto their 53-player roster, a wild move considering their recent preseason woes. This isn’t some knee-jerk reaction; Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports this decision was made *before* the team got absolutely blanked in a preseason game and didn’t change a bit after the disastrous outing.
The Risky QB Room Bet
Look, Mason Rudolph is already holding down the second-string spot, backing up Aaron Rodgers and serving as the only experienced backup on the squad. So, bringing in *two* more young signal-callers feels like a definite gamble. The word from Dulac is they’re holding onto both Howard and Allar because it’s super unlikely either would clear waivers and land back on the practice squad. It means the Steelers are betting big on the long-term potential of these two, even if it makes the quarterback room a bit crowded right out of the gate.
Ugly Numbers, Unchanged Plans
The context here is brutal. The Steelers were just shut out 17-0 by the Jets, marking the first time that’s happened in preseason since a 17-0 loss to the Eagles back in 2016. Howard started that game, playing the entire first half, and his numbers were not pretty: 10-of-15 for a mere 74 yards and a painful two interceptions. Allar didn’t fare much better, going 11-of-23 for 110 yards and getting sacked three times. Howard himself called it like it was: “Those two turnovers will really make it sour. There were some good things out there, but if you don’t win the game and turn the ball over, that’s unacceptable.” Despite these rough showings, which apparently followed some “promising starts” earlier in the preseason, the Steelers are sticking with their initial plan.
This whole situation puts the Steelers in a tough spot heading into the regular season. With Rodgers cemented at QB1 and Rudolph as the clear backup, keeping two struggling young QBs on the main roster is a bold strategy. It’s a huge vote of confidence, but you have to wonder if it’ll pay off or if those “unacceptable” turnovers are going to haunt them down the line.
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Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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