Will Howard
Will Howard
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ young quarterbacks were destined to be the talk of the town during the preseason. Aaron Rodgers’ final NFL season and the lack of an obvious heir put the spotlight on Will Howard and Drew Allar.
Next to the attention they attract, the biggest trait young quarterbacks often share is inconsistency. After Howard and Allar each shined in Week 1 of the preseason against the Green Bay Packers, both came crashing back to earth against the New York Jets in Week 2.
Howard completed 10-of-15 passes but threw two costly interceptions in the Steelers’ 17-0 loss. Allar completed just 11-of-23 passes a week after accounting for three touchdowns in his NFL debut.
Former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats believes that Howard’s showing leaves him on the outside looking in if Pittsburgh only keeps three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster.
“The turnovers are such a detriment to a performance that a guy like Will Howard, to me, now becomes the odd man out as we head into this final preseason game,” Moats said Friday night on the KDKA Nightly Sports Call.
Howard led a couple of sustained drives but the interceptions, regardless of who is at fault, were backbreakers.
Allar played slightly better than Howard despite very little time to function in the pocket. An opportunity to play earlier in the preseason finale would give Allar a chance to separate himself from Howard, though HC Mike McCarthy was noncommittal on the idea.
The question that has been asked since the Steelers drafted in Allar in the third round now comes into focus: Can they keep four quarterbacks on their active roster to begin the season?
“As much as I would love for all four of these guys to be here, especially when you think of the youth of Will Howard and Drew Allar, but when I think of keeping four quarterbacks, what does that do to the wide receiver room?” Moats said.
Wide receiver, safety and the defensive line are the three position groups that Moats pointed to as possible victims of the numbers game if Pittsburgh keeps four quarterbacks.
“I personally don’t think that this team can afford to take one of those other productive players off the field or who might give you more production on special teams to have a fourth quarterback on your roster,” he said.
Pittsburgh can make the math work, but will it be worth it to keep a quarterback who won’t be active on gamedays on the roster over a player who can contribute on special teams? Those are the questions that need to be answered in the coming days.
Even though the swift acceleration of the hype train in the opposite direction may suggest that the die has been cast, there’s still time for Howard to stake his claim. The preseason isn’t over. One more quality performance could change the narrative, and the roster math, very quickly.