The Pittsburgh Steelers should move Drew Allar directly behind Aaron Rodgers and stop treating Mason Rudolph as the automatic insurance policy. Tampa Bay just demonstrated the value of trusting a young quarterback before every rough edge has been sanded away.
Jalon Daniels wasn't supposed to be Tampa Bay's answer at quarterback. The undrafted rookie won the backup job, then replaced an injured Baker Mayfield and started three games. His first start against Green Bay was uneven, but Daniels followed it by completing 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown in a win over Dallas. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has kept Allar fourth on its depth chart, behind Rodgers, Rudolph, and Will Howard.
Allar hasn't proven he's ready to start an NFL game. Neither had Daniels before Tampa Bay handed him the offense. Developing quarterbacks eventually requires accepting some risk, and Pittsburgh's current setup provides almost none.
Pittsburgh Steelers have more to gain from Drew Allar than Mason Rudolph
Rudolph is a known NFL backup. That's fine if the goal is surviving a few quarters. Pittsburgh should be thinking beyond survival if Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, misses significant time.
Allar at least offers developmental upside. The 2026 third-round pick completed 30 of 54 preseason attempts for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. His 153-yard, three-touchdown debut against Green Bay showed the arm talent, pocket poise, and playmaking ability that made him worth the 76th pick. His final two exhibitions were far less explosive, which is exactly why nobody should confuse promoting him with declaring him a finished product.
Howard has a stronger college résumé than his NFL preseason suggested. Ohio State's 2024 starter threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns, then 1,150 passing yards and eight touchdowns across four College Football Playoff victories before Pittsburgh selected him in Round 6. His second preseason ended with 229 passing yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 67.1 passer rating.
Pittsburgh has navigated this road before. Rookie Ben Roethlisberger entered 2004 behind Tommy Maddox after Charlie Batch was injured, then took over when Maddox went down and finished 13-0 as a starter. Steelers history shows exactly how quickly that succession plan changed. Allar isn't Roethlisberger, and pretending otherwise would be silly. The lesson is that youth shouldn't automatically be buried beneath veteran predictability.
Daniels threw two interceptions against Pittsburgh on Sunday, so Tampa Bay's approach isn't some cheat code. It is simply a willingness to learn what a young quarterback can become.
The Steelers already know what Rudolph is. Rodgers isn't their future. At some point, developing Allar means putting him close enough to the field that the next snap might actually belong to him.
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