The Pittsburgh Steelers added another young quarterback to the mix during the 2026 NFL Draft when they selected Drew Allar out of Penn State in the third round. At one point, Allar was viewed as a potential generational talent and even a possible top-10 pick, but a difficult 2025 college season combined with a season-ending injury caused his draft stock to fall. Despite the setback, Pittsburgh saw enough upside to take a chance on his long-term potential.
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Steelers' Drew Allar speaking with the media.
That move added even more competition to a quarterback room that already includes Will Howard, whom the Steelers selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Howard arrived under the previous coaching regime, and his future has become a bigger talking point now that Mike McCarthy is leading the team. With McCarthy now invested in drafting Allar, there is growing speculation about how the team ultimately views both young quarterbacks moving forward.
Adding to the uncertainty, NFL Draft expert Mike Renner of CBS Sports recently weighed in during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, delivering a blunt assessment of Howard’s outlook. Renner suggested he does not see Howard developing into a long-term NFL starter, though he believes a backup role could still be realistic. The comments have only intensified debate among Steelers fans, who are also still waiting on clarity regarding Aaron Rodgers and whether he will be the team’s starter in 2026.
"Ok, so Howard comparatively, I was incredibly low on Howard, I don’t even think it’s close," Renner said while speaking on 93.7 The Fan Tuesday. "I thought Howard is a backup at best. He was just very robotic. He did not have the fluid athleticism of a Drew Allar... I am not a Will Howard guy. I was truthfully surprised where the Steelers even picked him last year."
The Steelers selected Howard in the sixth round with their 185th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s interesting that Renner is even saying that at that spot, it’s not even good value to draft him. That’s very telling about how low he has been and remains on Howard as an NFL quarterback. Truth be told, Howard fell to the sixth round for a reason, but the draft wasn’t particularly strong with star QB talent. That’s even more concerning about how Howard fell that far.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) trains at Saint Vincent College during the 2025 Steelers Training Camp on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 in Latrobe, PA.
On the other side, the Steelers still think they got good value for him. He has the mental makeup and won a national championship in college at Ohio State. Though there’s no telling how much Howard elevated the talent around him or vice versa. Either way, Howard showed up in big moments on the biggest stage in the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Steelers Fans Must Watch The Preseason Very Closely
In 2025, he got mentored by Rodgers and faced adversity himself when he suffered an injury just ahead of the preseason. Steelers fans should be very keen on the preseason reps between Allar and Howard. It will be their first preseason action for both of them, even though Howard was a rookie a season ahead of Allar.
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Steelers quarterback Drew Allar walks out on stage during the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
McCarthy spoke very highly about Howard and Mason Rudolph, but he didn’t draft either one of them. Allar was a guy he invested in, which naturally may give him an advantage. He also has the connection to QB coach Tom Arth in his favor.
Though Howard has a year ahead of him in the league, no meaningful action was played by him. Still, he learned a lot, and it will be interesting to watch these two QBs battle in the offseason, preseason, and throughout their careers.
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