Drew Allar Mason Rudolph Steelers four quarterbacks
Drew Allar Mason Rudolph Steelers four quarterbacks
The Pittsburgh Steelers played Will Howard and Drew Allar exclusively at quarterback in their final two preseason games. Against the New York Jets and Buffalo, Howard start and played the first half, with Allar finishing out the second half.
Each produced some good moments and led impressive drives. But they also looked like third- and sixth-round picks at times. However, there is one area where Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo thinks Allar has been appreciably better than Howard.
“Just looking at all three preseason games, it seems like to me, Allar is more comfortable handling the rush, stepping up, moving in the pocket, moving out of the pocket. He just seems more comfortable than Will Howard does. But I also will acknowledge, in all likelihood, Will Howard faced more pressure than Drew Allar, too,” Fittipaldo said Friday on the North Shore Drive podcast. “The thing about Allar is, he just looks very poised.”
If there’s one unit we were previously confident in but might look more suspect now, it’s the offensive line. As a result, both Howard and Allar faced a lot of pressure in these last two games. Howard faced it early and often Thursday night. He was sacked on the very first play of the game, with rushes like this coming at him often.
Replay of Will Howard sack #Steelers pic.twitter.com/OhxPK1cicY
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 27, 2026
Howard was sacked a total of three times and spent more plays than just that running away from pressure. However, Allar wasn’t sacked at all in his half of play on Thursday. He faced pressure but showed an ability to extend the play as well. Like this one where he rolls out to his right to evade pressure and finds a receiver.
Drew Allar extends play and completes #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/HpRI1zy7Ck
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 28, 2026
There is an argument that Allar has been more poised than Howard this preseason. He’s escaped pressure a little more consistently and has extended some plays, turning them into big gains. Calming things down in the pocket was a big emphasis for Allar and Mike McCarthy this offseason, and although he’s played against backups, it seems to be working so far.
At the end of the day, both quarterbacks showed promise this preseason. Howard had a good first game, then a rough second, but did some nice things in his third. Allar didn’t light things up in his final two preseason games but took care of the ball and looked in command. We’ll see if the Steelers find a way to keep both Howard and Allar over the next couple of days. For now, Fittipaldo thinks this is one way the latter looks more impressive.
terrible-podcast-2026-august-28-episode-3146
terrible-podcast-2026-august-28-episode-3146