The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t need another reminder that quarterback depth matters. Tampa Bay just gave them one anyway.
The Buccaneers took a chance on Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie who won the backup job and ended up starting three games after Baker Mayfield was injured. His first start against Green Bay was uneven, but he bounced back by going 19 of 25 for 189 yards and a touchdown in a win over Dallas. That kind of early trust is exactly what Pittsburgh has not extended to Drew Allar.
Right now, the Steelers have Allar buried fourth on the depth chart behind Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, and Will Howard. That setup may look safe on paper, but it leaves Pittsburgh with very little upside if Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, misses a meaningful stretch.
Rudolph gives the Steelers a familiar hand. He’s a known NFL backup, and that matters if the mission is simply to get through a few quarters. But if Pittsburgh is thinking bigger than survival, Allar is the better bet.
The 2026 third-round pick has already flashed enough to make the case. He finished the preseason 30 of 54 for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
His debut against Green Bay was the best version of the argument for him: 153 yards, three touchdowns, and the kind of arm talent, pocket calm, and playmaking that made him the 76th pick. The last two preseason games were quieter, but that shouldn’t erase the upside.
Howard has a stronger college résumé than his preseason work suggested. Ohio State’s 2024 starter threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns, then added 1,150 passing yards and eight touchdowns over four College Football Playoff victories before Pittsburgh took him in the sixth round. His second preseason closed with 229 passing yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 67.1 passer rating.
The Steelers have seen this kind of quarterback transition before. Rookie Ben Roethlisberger began 2004 behind Tommy Maddox after Charlie Batch was hurt, then stepped in when Maddox went down and finished 13-0 as a starter.
Allar is not Roethlisberger, and nobody should pretend otherwise. The point is simpler: Pittsburgh has lived through a plan that changed fast, and the team shouldn’t let a young quarterback get buried just because a veteran feels familiar.
Daniels also reminded everyone that this isn’t a magic formula. He threw two interceptions against Pittsburgh on Sunday. Still, Tampa Bay’s willingness to let a young passer learn on the fly says something.
The Steelers already know what Rudolph is. Rodgers is not the long-term answer. If Pittsburgh wants to develop Allar, the first step is obvious: get him close enough to the action that the next snap can actually be his.
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Steelers Have A Buy-Low Backfield Option Worth Watching In New York
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For Pittsburgh, the appeal is obvious if New York decides to listen before the trade deadline. Skattebo has already shown he can handle a meaningful workload when given one, and the Steelers have reason to explore a low-cost addition if they want another rugged option for the stretch run. Whether the Giants are actually ready to move him is still the open question, but this is the kind of situation front offices watch closely when a backfield gets crowded on one side and thin on the other. [Read more 🡒]
Mike McCarthy Just Addressed That Steelers Locker Room Speculation
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Pat Freiermuth helped put the temperature down a bit as well, saying the locker room remains in a good place and the focus is still on getting better and winning. For a team trying to keep the conversation centered on football, the distinction matters, because one offhand phrase can quickly turn into a bigger story than the actual work being done behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Quarterback Search Just Got Murkier Than Fans Expected
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Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers have both had stretches that complicate the picture, while Dante Moore and Darian Mensah have helped steady their own evaluations. For a Steelers team that knows how much weight falls on finding the right quarterback, the problem now is not just identifying talent, but figuring out which names in this class still belong in the top tier. [Read more 🡒]