Steelers Coach Makes Troubling Assessment of QB Drew Allar

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't need Drew Allar to be ready to go in Week 1, but the rookie quarterback faces an uphill battle early in his NFL career. 

Aaron Rodgers will finish his career with the Steelers this season. Then Pittsburgh will need to find a long-term solution at the position.

The Steelers selected Allar in the third round with the hope he could develop into that player. New Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy also sees potential in second-year quarterback Will Howard.

When speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth made some comments that should be alarming to Allar. He claimed it was too early to gauge how Allar was coming along this spring, but suggested Mason Rudolph and Howard look "fantastic."

"Arth acknowledged it's still early to assess Allar's progress in the program, but that Rudolph and Howard look "fantastic," wrote Brian Batco of the Steelers.

Ouch. 

The Steelers are trying to teach Allar to unlearn everything he was taught during his time at Penn State. While he's getting used to the league's terminology, Allar is working on his footwork, something that McCarthy preaches as fundamental to understanding the position.

"Coach makes it a priority in our schedule," Arth said. "We have the ability to really train the footwork, train all the different drills and concepts and different types of throws that we're asking these guys to make. It's pretty unique in that way."

Arth believes Rodgers and Rudolph can help teach Howard and Allar this spring. The two young quarterbacks arrived to OTAs ready to compete.

"Obviously, they're at a little bit different stages and different players, but two guys who are going to be very competitive with one another," Arth said. 

"They get along well. They're both great, great people — smart players — but they're ultra-competitive. They wouldn't be here if they weren't."

Allar will need to keep working hard to develop as quickly as he can. 

Depending on the final outcome of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby's eligibility ruling, the Steelers could decide to use a 2027 draft pick for another young signal-caller in the supplemental draft this summer.