Pressure on Steelers HC Mike McCarthy with 2 young QBs on the roster
New Steelers HC Mike McCarthy is a reported quarterback guru and he's going to have a chance to prove it this season.
We still don't know what our expectations are for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Year One of Mike McCarthy as head coach but we do know it will all depend on the quarterback position. We all assume that in spite of all the posturing, Aaron Rodgers will eventually sign with the Steelers for this season so 2026 is covered, even if the addition of Rodgers doesn't make this season a Super Bowl contender. But for McCarthy, 2026 is as much about his ability to develop a young quarterback into a star.
The Steelers have two in Will Howard and Drew Allar, which puts McCarthy in the spotlight. McCarthy gushed about Howard's potential from the moment he was hired but it didn't stop him from drafting Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft. This could just be the Steelers hedging their bets or it could be Allar is the player the Steelers will focus on in hopes of getting their first legitimate franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger.
No matter what, this scenario leaves Mason Rudolph out of the formula with his only shot to make the team is if Rodgers signs somewhere else. We are personally rooting for Howard to get a real shot to win the starting job for 2027. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Pressure on Steelers HC Mike McCarthy with 2 young QBs on the roster