by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published August 19, 2026, 3:22 PM
McCarthy Turns Steelers’ Preseason Finale Over to Young Quarterbacks
Pittsburgh, PA – The Steelers returned to the South Side for practice Wednesday with the St. Vincent College portion of training camp officially in the rearview mirror.
The location has changed. The evaluation has not.
Head coach Mike McCarthy addressed Pittsburgh’s upcoming preseason game against the New York Jets and, more specifically, which quarterbacks will and will not be part of it.
“Yeah, we’re going to play the two young guys for the Jets game,” McCarthy said.
Second-year quarterback Will Howard will start, with rookie Drew Allar also handling the offense. That leaves veterans Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph on the sideline.
“I think you understand,” McCarthy said. “They’re young. Will didn’t get to play last year. Drew’s a first-year player. You know, have two veterans I feel really good about. Obviously, with Aaron and Mason, saw what I needed to see with Mason last week.”
That decision adds another layer to one of Pittsburgh’s more intriguing roster puzzles.
McCarthy has traditionally operated with a relatively lean quarterback room, frequently keeping two on the active roster. Pittsburgh currently has four, creating plenty of debate over what the final number will look like when roster decisions arrive.
For Howard and Allar, Friday represents more than simply preseason playing time. It is an extended evaluation under game conditions, and McCarthy understands that context matters. Quarterbacks aren’t evaluated in a vacuum. The personnel surrounding them and the caliber of the defense across from them are part of the grading process.
“Well, I mean, that’s part of it. Yeah, no, no doubt,” McCarthy said. “I think you know who you play and how you play. That’s all part of the evaluation.”
Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks set a high bar in the preseason opener against Green Bay.
The trio of Rudolph, Howard and Allar combined to complete 27 of 33 passes for 332 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Beyond the box score, the group largely kept the operation clean, protected the football and allowed McCarthy to evaluate the offense without quarterback mistakes muddying the picture.
Now the lens narrows to Howard and Allar.
McCarthy has spent camp deliberately mixing personnel groups, creating different combinations and forcing players to function alongside different teammates. For an evaluator, that provides valuable tape. It reveals who can communicate, process and execute when the supporting cast changes around them.
“We’ll see it today,” McCarthy said. “Try to keep working as many players with different combinations because you know I’m going to come out of this with a lot of video, high understanding of every one of these guys, and I do.
“I want to give every player a chance to play in the game Friday night, and I want to give every guy a chance to make our 53-man roster and the practice squad.”
That attention to detail has been visible throughout camp. Pittsburgh has shuffled personnel, formations and combinations with the larger roster evaluation always in mind.
Friday night against the Jets gives McCarthy another long look at the two youngest quarterbacks in the room.
With Rodgers unlikely to see preseason action and McCarthy already satisfied with what he saw from Rudolph, the remaining preseason quarterback snaps belong to Howard and Allar.
For two young passers trying to establish exactly where they fit within Pittsburgh’s plans, those snaps are no longer just developmental reps.
They’re evaluation tape.
Will Howard Against Packers
- Attempts: 7
- Completions: 9
- Passing Yards: 86
- Touchdowns: 0
- Passer Rating: 106.5
Drew Allar Against Packers
- Attempts: 10
- Completions: 13
- Passing Yards: 153
- Touchdowns: 2
- Passer Rating: 154.8
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
