Steelers Set Up QB Battle Between Will Howard, Drew Allar

Once situated on opposite sides of a collegiate rivalry at Ohio State and Penn State, respectively, Will Howard and Drew Allar are staring down a position battle as teammates on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The incoming tussle between the pair isn't contingent on Aaron Rodgers returning to the Steelers in 2026 or not, either; if he does, Howard and Allar, who was selected with the No. 76 overall pick this year, will battle it out for the backup job and the support of the team's coaching staff as the superior option moving forward.

Should Rodgers give Pittsburgh the cold shoulder and opt against donning the black and gold next season, Howard and Allar would all of a sudden have ample opportunities to prove themselves as starting-caliber signal callers at a point in their careers where that would be otherwise be considered a ridiculous preposition.

That's the situation the Steelers, and in turn the two spry quarterbacks, could potentially find themselves in, however. Both are hoping, regardless of Rodgers' presence or lack thereof, to vindicate themselves adequately enough to convince the organization it doesn't have to push all their chips into the middle of the table for a franchise signal caller in the 2027 NFL Draft.

A lot of projection and confident forecasting will have to come into effect throughout the entire process for Pittsburgh, and it should make for an equally fun and mystifying grind for as long as it takes.

An Outlook on the Competition

Howard is carrying the luxury of having a head start on the field after splitting first-team reps with Mason Rudolph at voluntary minicamp. Coupled with his heightened familiarity with head coach Mike McCarthy, offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio and the rest of the staff as a byproduct of being in the building for longer, the 24-year-old is the inherent favorite to slot in above Allar on the depth chart.

An important factor and similarity to keep an mind as well is that both players have dealt with serious injuries over the last eight months or so.

Allar sustained a season-ending ankle injury in early October 2025 against Northwestern, which he may still be feeling the effects of. Howard, on the other hand, suffered a freak hand injury in training camp last summer that held him out of the preseason and kept him on the reserve/injured list until Week 11 as a rookie.

What it's all going to come down to in the end, though, is the type of linear progression both players show. There are certainly ramifications for the 2026 season, especially if Rodgers isn't in the fold, but 2027 is the real infliction point.

At this stage, Allar is more of a project than Howard. The former's mechanics are out of whack, his pocket presence is below-average, and he consistently wilted in high-pressure moments.

What Allar does have, though, is the baseline traits for a successful NFL quarterback with a big frame at 6-foot-5, a rocket of an arm and impressive intangibles with a deep-rooted understanding of how to play the position, even if it all hasn't come together yet.

Calling Allar's mobility a strength would be a stretch, but he can makes plays happen off-script and is tough to bring down due to his size.

Howard, much like Allar, has plus arm talent, but the latter has the advantage in that category. The former's floor, however, is higher because he's a better athlete and showcased a stronger feel for the pocket in college.

If anyone has a leg-up in this competition, it's Howard. He is a safer bet to either win the backup or starting job in 2026 because he's more of a finished product up to this point.

Looking a year or two down the line, though, Allar has the more inspiring profile and has a greater likelihood of growing into a true star quarterback. At the same time, he has more risk of being off the Steelers' roster entirely three years from now due to his lower floor.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as Steelers Set Up QB Battle Between Will Howard, Drew Allar.

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