Fresh off a dominant three-touchdown debut, Pittsburgh’s rookie signal-caller prioritizes mechanical precision and disciplined decision-making to solidify his roster spot against New York’s formidable defensive front.
With Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph sitting out Friday night's preseason game against the New York Jets, second-year quarterback Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar will get more opportunities to develop and gain game experience before the regular season.
It remains to be seen if the Pittsburgh Steelers will keep three or four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. If they keep three, it would appear Howard, a 2025 sixth-round pick, would be the even man out and could return via the practice squad.
The Steelers invested a third-round pick in Allar this spring. Pittsburgh believes he has potential, but he has a lot to learn at the NFL level before he's ready to lead the offense in the regular season.
When speaking to reporters, Allar was honest about his debut against the Green Bay Packers last week, saying he'd like to have a couple of plays back. His focus is to better handle the fundamentals of being a quarterback against the Jets on Friday.
"There were one or two plays I'd like to have back, which is how it's going to be every week, no matter how good or how bad the performance is," Allar said, via the Steelers.
"For me, it's just continuing to be clean with my decisive decision-making, be clean in my footwork and protections, and master the fundamentals to allow me to go out there and play fast."
Allar's performance was solid against the Packers. He went 10 of 13 passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a three-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The young quarterback was impressed by what he saw from the Steelers fan base last week. He's hoping for more friendly faces when Pittsburgh plays the Jets.
"It's definitely cool to see how many fans did show up for our first preseason game," Allar said. "I'm excited to see how many show up for a Friday night game. The fan support was great when we were out on the field."
Eventually, those fans could be rooting for Allar in the regular season. But that will come when his fundamentals are up to snuff.
