Mike McCarthy urges his young Steelers quarterback to prioritize composure over big plays as the roster battle intensifies ahead of Friday’s crucial preseason clash against the Jets.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a crucial contest coming up for quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar on Friday night.
The Steelers plan to sit Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph for the second preseason game, opening up an opportunity for Howard and Allar to have more playing time as the team sorts out its future at quarterback.
When speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy had a warning for Howard, saying the second-year quarterback didn't need to force the issue when trying to impress the staff. He needs to show competency when mastering the basics, and an opportunity to impress will eventually happen.
"You can't go chasing them," McCarthy said, via the Steelers. "The minute you go chasing them is when you get in trouble. You've really just got to be brilliant in the basics and wait for that opportunity to come.
Following the Steelers' 28-9 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers last week, McCarthy thought Howard did some good things but also said he did some things that "didn't go quite right" in the win.
“I thought both Will and Drew, Will had some peaks and valleys there because some things that didn’t go quite right," McCarthy said. "And I thought he did a really good job on his composure, playing through the two-minute drill was excellent.
And I even thought about giving Drew a two-minute drill at the end there, but I just, you get to that point in the game, you worry about just being healthy and so forth. But I really like the performance of all three quarterbacks tonight.”
Howard went 7 of 9 passing for 86 yards against the Packers.
Of the four quarterbacks on the Steelers roster, Howard appears to be the one Pittsburgh would cut after training camp. The 2025 sixth-round pick could be brought back via the practice squad.
Howard will feel even more pressure to make plays against the Jets on Friday night. But he'll be better served by operating the offense smoothly, showing that he can lead the team in a manner McCarthy wants for the regular season.
