It was widely expected that the Steelers would take a quarterback in this draft class. They certainly made good on those rumors, as they drafted Drew Allar in the third round at pick 76 overall.
Now, questions are popping up all over in Pittsburgh’s quarterback room.
Allar joins a relatively crowded room of Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. While not official, it is widely expected that Aaron Rodgers will be back for one more season, giving this team four notable names to work around.
While fans are quick to assume that this means the end of Rudolph, I wouldn’t be so quick to cut him. In fact, the Allar pick could be a direct shot at Howard.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may move forward with a different developmental quarterback
Assuming Rodgers does return, the makeup of the room is tough to look past. Your starter is obvious, but the backup becomes a lot harder to figure out.
Can you keep just Howard and Allar? Sure, but that means your depth will be extremely raw and unproven. For a team that claims they are trying to win now, that is a massive gamble.
If Rodgers were to miss a handful of games, would the team be confident in Howard to get the job done? They have no evidence that he can deliver.
While Rudolph’s time as a starter is over, he is an experienced backup that you can trust. Assuming the Steelers feel that way, suddenly Howard is the odd man out.
Let’s not forget that Howard was only a sixth-round pick last year. He isn’t promised anything. He was also injured for most of last year, causing him to miss valuable time in the preseason to showcase his ability.
While the team has spoken highly of him, that could all be lip service. The Steelers clearly liked Allar enough to use one of their top three picks on him. They could certainly view him as more of their future.
If Rodgers doesn’t return, this story is easier to figure out. You have a three-headed battle at quarterback and let the battle sort itself out.
If Rodgers is back, and this team remains in win-now mode, Howard could feel the squeeze. Taking two unproven options as your backup quarterbacks into the season could be a negative that this team wants to avoid.
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