Here’s to the Quarterback Competition of the Future. Maybe.
Sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have the present matter to deal with as they wait on definitive word from Aaron Rodgers about whether he’ll return for a 22nd NFL season.
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Yet in drafting Penn State’s Drew Allar with a third-round pick on Friday night – a year after onboarding former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard with a fourth-round pick – the Steelers are loaded with potential A-Rod understudies.
Hey, you can never have enough quarterbacks, right?
Well, yes and no. If you don’t have THE quarterback, you don’t have A quarterback.
2026 NFL Draft Round 2 and 3 grades: Analysis for every pick
In the meantime, Allar can hop on the learning curve alongside Howard as they try to prove themselves as viable options to cut it in the NFL. It’s quite the plot twist for a franchise held up by the drama surrounding Rodgers and the possibility that he might retire rather than reunite with Mike McCarthy and run it back for another shot at glory.
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Allar, picked 76th overall, has attractive size and arm strength, yet his inconsistency has raised eyebrows. Then his senior season was cut short in October by a broken ankle.
Now he’s a project for McCarthy, the new Steelers coach, whose track record for developing quarterbacks includes his work with Dak Prescott, Aaron Brooks and, well, Rodgers. Add the potential opportunity to be in the same room with Rodgers, and Allar has certainly landed in a good spot.
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Every pick from Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft
33. San Francisco 49ers (from Jets): De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Mississippi
The 2026 NFL Draft continues Friday, April 24, as teams move into Rounds 2 and 3.
See how the next wave of prospects comes off the board as draft weekend rolls on.
1 / 68
Every pick from Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft
33. San Francisco 49ers (from Jets): De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Mississippi
The 2026 NFL Draft continues Friday, April 24, as teams move into Rounds 2 and 3.
See how the next wave of prospects comes off the board as draft weekend rolls on.
2 / 68
Every pick from Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft
Then there’s the competition with Howard, which for the foreseeable future amounts to a position in the pecking order behind Rodgers (conceivably) and veteran Mason Rudolph. Those often-limited reps for backups will be so precious for two developmental quarterbacks.
“We’ll have a great plan for that,” Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth said during a draft-night press conference. “We’ll have a really good room, with Mason Rudolph and his experience.”
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Not to mention the main man in the projected QB Room, Rodgers.
Of course, picking Allar, like Howard last year, is hardly any kind of hedge against what happens with the 42-year-old Rodgers. Yet it is still a shrewd move for GM Omar Khan and McCarthy to stack the room with prospects.
Maybe they’ll strike oil? There are enough examples of underdogs rising to the circumstances of their opportunity. Regardless, in a league where there are never enough solid quarterbacks, there is value in options.
It’s also possible that in a draft next year that projects to be deep in quarterbacks, the Steelers can find themselves still searching for that long-term answer.
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For now, there’s a competition to fire up with Allar and Howard – even if for the near future it is for the duty of running the scout team.
As Arth put it, “I think it’ll bring out their best.”
Yet there’s an even better short-term idea for the Steelers: Hurry back, A-Rod
Contact Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drew Allar plot twist gives Steelers a full QB room, but not a competition
