The Steelers got their rookie mini-camp underway this weekend, and while many franchises had multiple quarterbacks present at their sessions, Pittsburgh had just one – third-round draft pick Drew Allar.
And according to Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, the mini-camp was strategically planned that way. He and his staff wanted to put Allar under a little bit of pressure and see if his rookie quarterback has what it takes to make it in the NFL. And afterward, he told the press that he was quite impressed by what he saw.
“We pushed him,” said McCarthy. “To go 35 snaps in a team drill, that’s pushing it, but he handled it…If your quarterback can’t handle it, then you don’t get to go to the speed and the tempo and the pre-snap that we were able to go. I thought Drew did a hell of a job.”
Mike McCarthy said having Drew Allar as the only QB at rookie minicamp was by design.
“We pushed him. To go 35 snaps in a team drill, that’s pushing it, but he handled it. … If your quarterback can’t handle it, then you don’t get to go to the speed and the tempo and the… pic.twitter.com/b95CFl7pf3
— Chris Harlan (@CHarlan_Trib) May 9, 2026
Allar enters a quarterback room where he will battle Will Howard and Mason Rudolph for the starting job, though Rudolph is reportedly a player the franchise is willing to trade this offseason. The unknown in the equation is Aaron Rodgers, who still hasn’t issued a definitive decision on whether he will return to the franchise for a second consecutive season. He has reportedly been in discussions, but no news has come.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Mike McCarthy offers significant praise for Drew Allar after mini-camp
