Drew Allar
Drew Allar
We’ve been discussing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room all offseason long, and Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar finally took the field Thursday night against Green Bay. To put it bluntly, they didn’t disappoint.
Allar was the final of the three to take the field, and he quickly engineered three scoring drives. To ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Allar had a much better showing than she can remember from his days at Penn State.
“Mechanically, he looked significantly better in this outing than he did a lot at times his final year of college. Really played on time; the ball was coming fast… I thought he handled pressure well in a couple of moments. So, something certainly to build on. Obviously against third-stringers,” Kimes said Friday on NFL Live. “But part of the reason I think the Steelers drafted him is the physical tools were so enticing… So this is a good first step.”
There was a lot to like from Allar’s first performance in the black and gold, from a general standpoint. Kimes mentions his mechanics, which is a good place to start.
One of Allar’s biggest criticisms coming out of college was his footwork. That’s something Mike McCarthy harped on as soon as he got his hands on the young quarterback. All the way back in rookie minicamp, McCarthy was breaking Allar’s footwork down to the basics. It was something that actually earned Drew Allar some criticism given how some of the drills looked.
So far, that work is paying off. Allar had rookie minicamp, OTAs, and now a couple of weeks of training camp to work with McCarthy. While some flaws still remain, Allar’s mechanics looked much cleaner on Thursday night.
All-22 Drew Allar to Kaden Wetjen for a huge gain versus single high man #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/gprG94dO9e
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 14, 2026
McCarthy didn’t ask Allar to do too much, but this play is a good example. Allar gets the snap, takes a clean three-step drop, and pivots towards Kaden Wetjen as soon as he makes his break. Allar then comfortably steps into the throw, allows Wetjen to catch it in stride, and the rest is history.
The Steelers hope that once he dials in his mechanics, it will pair well with his arm strength, which needs no help. But as he puts the rest of his game together, the arm strength and release already stand out. His footwork isn’t perfect on this snap, but he reacts to the pressure and does a great job getting rid of the ball and putting it right on his receiver.
Great read and quick decision by Drew Allar against pressure on slant/flat #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/wYpI4ACMKA
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 14, 2026
As much optimism as there is around the way Drew Allar looked, there must be some reality as well. It’s only been one preseason game, and certain Steelers quarterbacks have impressed in the preseason before without that translating to anything meaningful.
However, Mike McCarthy is clearly doing something right with his young quarterbacks. Both Howard and Allar looked comfortable and composed against Green Bay. Kimes is especially impressed with Allar’s mechanics.