Young Steelers QBs Will Howard and Drew Allar will take center stage in Friday's preseason game

Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Aug 19, 2026

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — Either Mason Rudolph is entrenched as the backup to Aaron Rodgers or the Steelers are going to dangle him as trade bait before they make the final decisions on their 53-man roster 10 days from now.

Coach Mike McCarthy said he was so pleased with how Rudolph played in the preseason opener that McCarthy will keep him on the bench for Friday’s preseason game against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium.

Will Howard will unofficially get his first NFL start and play the first half. Rookie Drew Allar will get the second half.

“I saw what I needed to see from Mason last week,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “I’ve talked highly about Mason since the spring. I really want to max out the opportunities with both Will and Drew.”

Rudolph played in two series against the Green Bay Packers last week and went 10 for 11 for 93 yards. He led the Steelers to the 1-yard line on his second drive before they turned it over on downs.

McCarthy has said he will play Rodgers in the final preseason game if starting receivers DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. are healthy, so Rudolph might have played his final snaps of the preseason.

It certainly sounds like Rudolph has won over McCarthy.

“He’s very experienced. He’s a strong personality in the locker room. I really liked his command of the offense,” McCarthy said. “He’s been through a number of systems. He’s been asked to do things differently for how we believe the quarterback position is played. He’s done an excellent job.”

Howard and Allar apparently have much more to prove to the coach.

Howard played three series against the Packers and orchestrated a two-minute drive at the end of the first half that resulted in a touchdown. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 86 yards.

Allar played all but one series in the second half and led the Steelers to three touchdowns. He was 10 for 13 for 153 yards and two touchdown passes. He also scored on a short designed run.

A 2025 sixth-round draft pick out of Ohio State, Howard led the Buckeyes to the national championship during his senior year. A hand injury did not allow him to play as a rookie, so the Packers game was his unofficial NFL debut.

“You can say whatever you want about the caliber of games I’ve played in,” Howard said. “I’ve played in just about every game I could have at the college level, but the NFL is a different level. I’m just honored to get my first start in the big leagues.”

By giving Howard the start, the Steelers will have an opportunity to evaluate him against the Jets’ starters. He did most of his damage last week against Green Bay’s second-team defense, while Allar played against third-stringers.

“Who you play and how you play, that’s all part of the evaluation,” McCarthy said. “We have two games, and I want to see those guys play as much as possible.”

If the Steelers want a veteran backing up Rodgers, Rudolph is a lock to make the roster.

However, if they conclude Howard can handle the duties, Rudolph would become expendable.

McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan have said keeping four quarterbacks is a possibility. But if Howard and Allar continue to play well in the final two preseason games, they might feel the need to only carry three.

“That will play itself out and that will be up to coach McCarthy, Omar and Art [Rooney II],” assistant general manager Andy Weidl said. “They’ll make the decision on that. We have another test coming up on Friday night and then in Buffalo. We’ll see how these guys do.

“The great thing about training camp is you learn something new about your team every day. You see how guys handle different situations. Our coaches are doing a great job putting players in different situations and circumstances to see how they handle it, how they react and how they perform.”

Howard will face a Jets defense that features some high draft picks. Former Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick leads their secondary. And they have drafted strong edge rushers in recent years, with Will McDonald IV arriving in the first round in 2023 and David Bailey being the No. 2 overall pick this year.

“Any opportunity is special, but when you know you’re the guy who’s starting, there is a different level of anticipation and excitement that comes with that,” Howard said. “We have a lot of good quarterbacks on this roster, so to get the start is an honor. I just have to prepare like I have in the past.

“I think my process was really good when I was at Ohio State. My process was really good last week in how I prepared for the game. I just want to keep doing the things that work and fix some of the things that didn’t.”

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